Secrets of the Strigoi
by AlwaysInAFieldOfInnocence
Summary: Garfield was a normal as ever, until he got pulled into the world of demon hunting. None the less, he meets his commander Raven. Secrets hidden between the two are revealed and unknown world brings them close together in this time of chaos and confusion.
1. Ghosts

Chapter One: _Ghosts_

"_Target is in sight. Shall we proceed?"_

"Not until I command." The woman instructed while pressing on her blue-tooth earpiece.

"_As you authorize. Standing by."_

The woman nodded to herself lowering the volume of the earpiece. She sighed in frustration and peered below from the building. It was nearly midnight and a scarce amount of people were wandering the streets. Her eyes followed the silhouette leisurely walking down the alley several yards below. The woman squatted from the ledge of the building above following her gaze towards the figure. She wore a black attire including an ebony trench coat and long heels. The woman's presence was unobtrusive since the night helped conceal her presence.

The figure below continued its distance moving farther from the stalking predator. The feminine predator removed her black sunglasses revealing her stunning amethyst eyes. The woman squinted and looked below. She lightly touched her earpiece.

"We move in twenty seconds. Proceed with the plan." she spoke in the blue-tooth. An unanimous reply echoed through the earpiece. The woman removed the device and placed it in the pocket of her trench coat. The female figure stood up from her crouching position and lurked over the edge of the roof. She smiled revealing her snow white canines as her target advanced away from her.

"Let's get this party started." she whispered to herself placing her sunglasses over her eyes.

"Dude! We're going to be late for class!" Garfield shouted to his roommate. His roommate groaned and covered his head with the blanket. "Marshall! Get the hell up and your ass moving."

"Nooooooo." Marshall groaned in his pillow.

Frustrated, Garfield yanked the blankets exposing his roommate to the cold. "The professors are going to kick _my _ass if you don't go to class. You know why? Because I am your roommate. So get your butt up and come to class."

"Fine fine. I'm up, I'm up!" Marshall shouted as he started to get ready. "God, you're so damn annoying. No wonder you can't get chicks." Garfield huffed and left the Marshall's room.

Marshall White and Garfield Logan were both college students that attended the local university. Marshall was studying film production and Garfield was majoring in animal science. Garfield was six feet tall with sandy blonde hair. He was medium lean built and had handsome green eyes. His roommate, Marshall, was about the same height but he had dark brown hair and light brown eyes.

After Marshall prepared for class, they proceeded to their mythology class. The professor was surprised by Marshall's presence but said nothing of it. The class was about an hour long and the lecture of the day was about the Romanian strigoi. Although Garfield was not familiar with this subject, Marshall was surprisingly well educated about the creatures they studied. Garfield found it strange he was familiar about the subject, but neglected to mention it.

Following mythology class, the two roommates walked around the university campus to proceed to their next class. Although they were going to the same building, they had different classes.

"So," Garfield spoke," you were out late, again?"

"Does it matter to you? And yes I was." Marshall said bitterly.

"Calm down dude. I was just asking as your friend." Garfield said defensively. "You have been doing this for about a year. What are you doing anyway? No one can party that hard."

"On the contrary Gar," Marshall replied pointing to himself "You are looking at him."

"Whatever dude." Garfield shook his head.

"While on the subject, today is Friday and we don't have class until Monday. So I say you, me and Victor go to that new bar."

"Okay, but this time, don't leave us without saying anything. We looked for you for hours."

"Sorry about that again. So I'm thinking we go at nine." Garfield nodded and they continued to walk to class. Abruptly, a feminine voice shouted Marshall's name behind the two men. Instinctively, the they turned around.

Behind them was a woman making a bee-line towards the men. She appeared around their age. Her dark black hair was shoulder length and she wore a gray shirt, dark jeans, and black flip-flops. The woman also wore an angry expression and she looked homicidal.

_I'm glad I'm not Marshall. She looks like she's going to kill him. But, she is hot. _Garfield thought to himself.

The woman stopped in front of Marshall, glaring at him with her amethyst eyes. Marshall appeared terrified from the woman glaring at him.

"I need to talk to you Marshall." she spat glaring at the man that stood before her. Marshall was intimidated by the venom in her voice. He was nearly speechless, until he gained the courage to speak.

"What are you doing _here!"_ He emphasized almost in a panic.

The woman raised one eyebrow. "You should damn know why I am here." She glanced over at Garfield and scowled. Garfield mirrored Marshall's fear.

"Okay, okay. Just follow me." Marshall said out of fear ushering the woman in the opposite direction. "Garfield I'll be to class on time."

Garfield nodded and hesitantly waved farewell to the temperamental woman. He walked away and proceeded to his class. Before he proceeded further, Garfield looked back to see Marshall and the woman arguing fiercely.

Later that night, Garfield was laying on the couch watching television. Suddenly, the door opened revealing Marshall. He wore a calm expression on his face and he was unaware Garfield was sitting on the couch. Marshall walked over to the refrigerator to grab a water bottle. Garfield sat up and spoke.

"You okay Marshall?"

"Yeah, yeah. Never better." he retorted opening the cap.

"You didn't make it to class dude." Garfield said worried.

"Gar! Will you shut up about me missing class!" Marshall shouted changing his earlier demeanor. "I had to take care of some business. So, quit acting like an obnoxious monkey and get off my back." For moments, there was a tense silence.

"Sorry dude." Garfield apologized "Who was that girl anyway? One of your ex-girlfriends?"

It took a while for Marshall to answer but he spoke. "Yeah, you could say that. Anyway, I'm going to take a nap before we leave. Night." Then, he proceeded to his bedroom. Garfield sat on the couch with a questionable look on his face, but continued to watch television to keep his mind off of his troubled roommate.

**And there you go! Chapter one! Done! Tell me what you think about it in a review! :)**

**By the way, if some of you may be wondering what a strigoi is I will tell you. A strigoi is Romanian mythology of a witch or the evil souls of the dead rising from their tombs. They are known to either transform into phantom or animal apparitions. Oh yeah! So now you know. I saved you the task of googling it. Your welcome. :) **


	2. Glare

Chapter Two: _Glare_

It was almost midnight and the bar was still full of local college students. The building was a decent size, but it was nearly over its capacity. The club floor was filled with people dancing and grinding on each other. Bright, colorful lights scattered throughout the dance floor and strobe lights flickered spontaneously. The DJ was playing music that resembled techno and several people were waving glow sticks.

Victor and Garfield sat at a table drinking their beers. They have been friends since grade school and attended the same university. Victor, however, was majoring in engineering. Although they did not care for techno music, they were there for the women.

"So, are you still single Gar?' Victor asked.

"Yep, but there were some girls in my classes that try to flirt with me. However, they aren't my type."

"Well, then what girls aren't your type?" Victor asked raising an eyebrow.

"Sluts." he said taking a drink

"Damn Gar, why do you have to be so harsh?"

"Did I say that out loud? Opps." Garfield said covering his mouth. Then he realized something. "Speaking of sluts, where is Marshall?"

"Man, Marshall isn't a slut. He's just a man whore. I think he went that way." Victor replied and pointed towards the dance floor. The two men both sighed in frustration. Victor looked over at his watch. "We might as well go get him. It's getting late."

"Agreed. You go to the car. I'll go get our little man whore." Garfield said and left towards the dance floor. He searched and searched for his friend but came up empty handed. Then he decided to check in the bathrooms, but he did not discover his friend. Out of curiosity, Garfield decided to check the back door. Garfield cursed and hoped he would find him. To his surprise, he did.

Garfield opened the back door to find Marshall facing towards the wall in the alley. He was about to speak, until he discovered he was moaning loudly. Garfield turned around quickly when he saw a woman near Marshall's groin making moaning sounds. He was nearly traumatized when he saw this and unknowing was hyperventilating.

Marshall was enjoying what the woman was doing to him. She sucked so hard that he nearly came. However before he did, she removed her mouth and stood up. Marshall was panting from pleasure and in hast grabbed the woman's short skirt. He pulled it down slightly, and inserted himself in her. He pressed her against the cold brick wall and thrust himself in and out of her. She moaned in pleasure and Marshall mimicked her groan. After moments of this, the woman finally spoke.

"So, do you like what you see?" she asked seductively in his ear. Marshall didn't speak and continued in and out of her. Finally he spoke a when she stopped moving her hips along with him.

"Yes." he said. To himself, he wanted her to be silent. She was dangerously gorgeous after all. That was his fall.

Suddenly, she bit hard on his shoulder and he screamed in pain. Marshall jerked back away from the woman as she glared at him with her white teeth. In the past, he had woman bite him before, but not hard enough to where they drew blood.

"What the hell was that?" He shouted holding his shoulder where she bit him.

"Revenge." she smiled and her eyes turned red.

He continued to back up slowly until he felt a solid structure. He turned around to see a tall man with crimson red eyes. He looked around and found multiple silhouettes with bright blood red eyes. They were approaching closer and closer. Marshall screamed in terror.

Garfield heard Marshall's terrified scream and cautiously cracked the door to look out. He saw Marshall being surrounded by black figures with piercing red eyes approaching closer to his friend. Garfield was so mortified that he couldn't move. He couldn't call for help; nor help his friend. He was numb when he saw his friend being slaughtered by the menacing figures. They bit into him, savoring his blood, ripping and tearing everything they could. Garfield was about to vomit from the sight.

Suddenly, there was a blatant gun shot and the figures stopped their mutilation. More shots fired and many of the figures collapsed to the ground. The other figures growled and snarled trying to figure out where the shots came from. From above, several people in dark trench coats jumped to the ground. Without hesitation, they began their attack on the figures. When they were close enough to the monsters, they took out swords and slaughtered most of the figures. Soon, it appeared the battle was done. Suddenly, one of the mysterious men was about to be attacked by the woman Marshall was with. Before she could strike, a single bullet went through her head. The man trembled and looked at the assailant. A woman in a trench coat slowly walked towards the fallen body and stood over the corpse. She kicked the body and shot several times until the air was silent. The creature's face fell into a vacant stare. She lifted up her gun and blew on it.

"Great job team. Damage report." the woman commanded.

"No injuries on our part commander. A few scrapes and bruises, but we have no open wounds." one of the men said.

"Great and what about Marshall?" she asked. There was silence. The woman raised an eyebrow and lost her composure. "I said, what about Marshall!" she shouted her voice echoed throughout the alley.

One of the men spoke, "Unfortunately, we were too late. They were nearly done with him when we arrived."

The woman searched through the corpses and found Marshall. "Dammit. I told him to follow my orders. Oh well. That's what he deserves."

"Excuse me, but you don't have to be so cruel to him. He is dead after all." another man spoke.

"Excuse me for laying down the truth. It's all about this job Trent." she walked towards the man and lifted him off the ground by his shirt. "If you are in this and you want to live, then listen and follow my orders. Unless you want to end up like Marshall here. Do you understand me?"

"Y-yes ma'am." he stuttered out of fear. She lowered him down and punched him in the face. The man fell to the ground. He rubbed the spot where she punched him and looked in the distance.

"I'm glad you understand. That was part of you punishment." the woman said and then turned towards everyone else. "Well, we came too late and that's all we can do. Everyone can report back to H.Q. Except for Trent. He is going to clean up this mess."

The man named Trent gawked and stood up. "You've got to be joking."

She turned around and pointed to her face. "Does this face look like I'm joking. If you get this wrong, I'll have to punch you somewhere else." Trent sighed and bowed to the woman. "Glad you see it my way. Now everyone, go."

Instantly, the rest of the fleet disappeared. Only Trent and the woman remained. He began to clean up the mess. "Shouldn't you been on your way?"

"I've got business to take care of, but I will be leaving momentarily." She turned around and peered into the cracked door. Her stunning eyes pierced Garfield. She obviously made eye contact with him and continued to walked towards the darker part of the alley. Soon, she disappeared into the dark.

Finally, Garfield was able to move. He exhaled deeply and grabbed his shirt. _What the hell did I just see. That was the woman Marshall was talking to today! Oh god, Oh god. What the hell do I do? Should I call the cops, Yeah yeah! Wait. _Garfield thought in a panic. Then flashbacks of the woman glaring at him intensely moments ago replayed in his mind. He was terrified and was trembling in fear.

Garfield turned around and entered the dance floor with a calm composure. He exited the night club and walked to Victor's car. He was waiting patiently in the driver's seat. Victor only had one drink, but that was about a half a hour ago. Garfield knocked on the window and Victor unlocked the door. Garfield sat in the passenger seat.

"Did you find him?" Victor asked. Garfield shook his head.

"I did find him, but he said he was going to spend the night at some chicks house after the bars close. He said go on without him."

"Okay. Well I hope he's safe." Victor said and drove away from the bar. Garfield looked out the window in silence as Victor drove him home.

**Woooo! Chapter twoooo! Revieeewww! :)**


	3. Unexpected

Chapter Three: _Unexpected_

Garfield dreaded going home to the apartment. He slowly walked up the stairs to the apartment him and Marshall shared. Every step he took, he was reminded of his friend. His friend was brutality murdered right in front of him and Garfield did nothing of it. The man thought to himself that he could have done something to save his friend over and over again. He could have called the police, but they might have thought he was crazy, unless they saw the gory sight of corpses. Garfield wondered what those creatures were, and mainly, who those people were in the trench coats. Especially, who was that woman with the violet eyes? These questions floated into his mind until he reached the apartment door. He sighed and unlocked it.

The man entered the apartment and immediately smelled cigarette smoke. Quickly, he ignored it since the neighbors smoked outside on their balcony. After closing the door, he turned on the lights to the apartment. He walked over to the pantry and ate a few crackers. When he turned towards the television, he saw a cloud of smoke near the couch. Cautiously, he walked toward the couch. Garfield grabbed an umbrella and approached closer. He slowly peered over the couch and gasped.

Laying on the couch was the woman with the trench coat. She had a cigarette in her mouth and was reading out of a notebook in her hands. She ignored him as he looked over from the couch. Once his whole head appeared over the couch, she make eye contact with him. Quickly, Garfield gasped and backed away from the couch. He held the umbrella in front of him defensively and stood in a guarding position. His legs were beginning to shake.

She placed the notebook on the ground and exhaled smoke. The woman lightly laughed. "Do you really think you can hurt me with that? Please. I am offended"

"What the hell are you doing here? What do you want?" he asked. The umbrella was shaking in his hands.

"What do you think I'm doing here? I'm laying on your couch reading my book and smoking, genius." she replied as she sat up.

"I didn't mean that and you can't smoke in here." He held the umbrella higher.

"My apologies." she said and extinguished the cigarette by using her long tongue. Surprisingly, Garfield was aroused by her action. "Anyway, you can put the umbrella down. My gun and knives are over there." She pointed towards the top of the television. Sure enough, a gun and a few knives lay on the television set. Hesitantly, Garfield lowered the umbrella although that didn't bring him complete assurance.

"Thank you. Now we can talk." she said and stood up. "I know what you saw tonight and I am sorry you had to witness it. The world isn't quite familiar with these anomalies of the world."

"What were those things that attacked my friend?" he asked.

"Demons." she replied blankly.

"Why were they after Marshall? And how do you know him?" he asked raising his voice and the woman disappeared from the couch. He stared left and right looking for the woman who vanished right in front of him.

"Damn. Question after question. Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?" she said behind him. Startled, Garfield turned around and backed up. The woman raised her eyebrows in vexation. "Let me explain."

"How the hell did you just do that?" Garfield asked as he began to resume his shaking.

"Let me explain. Mr. Logan." she stated.

"How do you know my name?" Garfield asked in a panic but she flicked his nose like a dog.

"Shut up for the first time in your life and let me explain." she commanded. She walked to the table and sat down. Garfield leaned against the couch rubbing his nose. "Now Mr. Logan. First off, it is standard procedure to say that what you saw was real and you are not dreaming. Your friend was killed by demons and those demons were killed by my special ops team. Do you follow me so far?" Garfield nodded.

"Wonderful. Now your friend Marshall was a part of our team. He was one of an undercover team members." she explained. "however, he didn't follow my orders yesterday and unfortunately was murdered by other demons he snitched out months ago. He was an easy target and that is how he died."

"What about his body?" Garfield asked.

She sighed. "There was barely anything left to recover. It was so bad we could barely identify the corpse. Do not worry, the police will not be after you, but you may have to get a new roommate. We have been working with Marshall for about a year and we know about you through him. We know, your name, birth date, and everything else personal about you."

"What about my innermost thoughts?"

"Yes we do." Garfield gasped and she smirked. "I wish we could, but no we can't"

Garfield was relieved. He had an explanation now. There was just one concern. "Since I know all this information, are you going to kill me?"

"Nope. We've got better things in store for you." she said with a devious smile.

"I don't like that look." Garfield said.

She stood up from the table. "We need you to replace Marshall. Without an undercover, we cannot fulfill our jobs as Messors."

"And what the heck is a Messor and what is that job."

"Messor is Latin for reaper. If you are a Messor, you kill demons."

"Whoa. Hold on there. I'm not going to do that. Did you not see what happened to my friend?"

"Well no shit Sherlock. I was there. The only reason Marshall died because he didn't follow my orders. Those orders were to identify a demon at the club. Instead, he had sex with the demon which was his end. If you follow my orders, you will live. If not, you might as well send my regards to Marshall. So, what do you think?" she asked.

Garfield stood in place staring at the ceiling. It might have been five minutes later, but the woman started to become impatient by tapped her fingers on her arms and tapping her foot. "If I choose not to, I'm guessing you will kill me."

"Yes and this time I am not joking. This is a serious business and you need to survive."

"Then I agree." Garfield renounced.

"Great." she held out her hand for him to shake it. He grabbed her hand and instantly felt how cold her hands were. Surprisingly her hands were incredibly soft. They withdrew their hands. "We have a deal. Now, we will meet at headquarters tomorrow to brief you on your training. I will pick you up here around noon. So get some sleep."

She began to walk towards the balcony doors. She exited the apartment and before she closed the door his hand held the door.

"What is your name by the way?" he asked.

"Raven." she replied and placed a cigarette in her mouth and lit it.

"You know that's bad for you." Garfield pointed out concerned.

"And don't you think I know that?" she winked and stepped on the edge of the balcony. The woman jumped off the building. Garfield ran to the ledge and looked down. She disappeared.

_Damn, she just vanished. She's like a ninja. A very sexy ninja. _He thought to himself and proceeded to his room. Somehow, Garfield believed he was signing a death sentence_._

**Review! Review! :) I don't own Teen Titans, but REVIEW!**


	4. Special Ops

Chapter Four: _Special Ops_

"Why did I agree to this?" Garfield asked aloud of himself. He looked at himself in mirror when he finished getting ready. He wore a purple and black shirt with dark denim jeans. The man stared at his reflection in the mirror. Garfield was unable to sleep last night since memories of last night's event replayed over and over in his head. He took a deep breath and exited the bathroom.

He descended to the refrigerator and took out the carton of soy milk. Instead of pouring it into a glass, he drank straight from the carton. After taking a drink, he placed it back into the refrigerator and shut it. He looked over to clock and saw it was nearly noon. Garfield picked up his keys and left the apartment. He disembarked down the stairs and stood in the doorway. The woman said she would pick him up at noon and it was a few minutes until twelve. She didn't say what car she would be picking him up in or if he would have to walk with her. The man assumed she left on foot when she left his apartment last night.

Lost in his thoughts, he did not see the black Porsche Carrera approaching the apartments entrance. It parked in front the doors and honked. Garfield jumped in surprise and discovered the parked car. He walked out of the apartment doors and stared at the car for moments.

"Are you getting in or not?" Raven said through the open window. Garfield nodded and walked toward the car. He opened the passenger door and sat in. He buckled his seat belt and looked at the woman. She wore a black tank top and dark jean shorts. The man noticed that she had purple streaks in her hair. Somehow, they didn't look like highlights, but they looked natural. Whoever was her hairstylist did a great job. Garfield also noticed that she had pale skin that twinkled in the light. The sun was bright and she wore black sunglasses. Raven drove the car and they were silent until Garfield spoke.

"Nice car you have here." he said breaking the silence.

"Thanks. The job pays well." Raven said with her eyes on traffic.

"Wait!You get paid for this job?" she nodded "So do I get something in return when I join?"

She gave him a soft smile."Yes, you get your life."

"Dude! That's not fair!" Garfield whined.

"Not to mention a commission for every demon head you get."

"How much would that be?"

"On most occasions, about ten grand for each head."

"Sweet!" Garfield shouted

"Don't get too cocky there Mr. Logan. We have to get you through training first before we send you in."

"What do I have to do for training?" he asked.

"Oh you'll see." she grinned.

_I don't like the sound of that _Garfield thought to himself.

Soon she parked in front of a large building. He lived in the city since he was five, and sixteen years later, never considered this building as the Messor headquarters. Frequently, he passed the building when he would intern at the local zoo. The building appeared to be a normal, white collar business building. There was no sign in front of the building either. He exited the car and she locked the car door.

Garfield followed Raven to the building door. She held out a card and passed it in front of the scanner. The light blinked green and the door unlocked. She opened the door and he followed behind the woman. He expected there to be plenty of people around with guns, but instead, the building appeared empty. The only sounds heard were their footsteps. They proceeded to the elevator and she entered a six-digit pin number on the keypad. Once the elevator opened, they entered the elevator. Surprisingly, the elevator had no numbers to press. Immediately, the doors closed and proceeded upwards.

"Now, we are going to the twelfth floor of the building. We will meet the others you will be working with. Do not speak unless you are spoken to or addressed." she commanded. The elevator binged and the doors opened. Raven proceeded away from the elevator and Garfield followed. The walls were dark blue and there were news paper articles framed on the walls. They were mainly about mysterious animal attacks in the local area. He assumed those weren't animal attacks, but demon attacks.

They reached the door at the end of the hallway and she opened it. He stepped inside with her and Garfield saw people sitting on couches facing towards them. They were all men with the exception of two women. One woman had jet black hair and thick eyeliner. She was quite young, and appeared to be younger than Garfield. The last woman appeared to be in her late thirties with light brown hair with pink highlights.

The other men ranged from Garfield's age to what looked like to be men in their early forties. The men were all a range of races with different hair colors. One man had an eye patch and another man had a prosthetic arm. Few men had soul patches, goatees, and other facial hair on their faces. The men had intimidating appearances. Not to mention many of the men had tattoos on their bodies. To his surprise, Garfield was expecting them to have sharp canines similar to Raven's, but their teeth appeared to be average. They were all conversing and ignored when Raven and the guest walked in. Raven whistled to get their attention but they didn't hear her call. She frowned and took out her gun. The woman shot once to the ceiling and everyone fell silent. Garfield jumped in surprise. They all looked over at Raven and the mysterious guest.

"Yo! Commander! I just fixed the other holes in the ceiling. At least wait a few weeks to do that." A man with a goatee stated.

"Well if you all would listen or when I whistle to you like dogs, you better pay attention. Next time I'll shoot somewhere else or someone" Raven spoke. "Anyway, you all are aware that our team member, Marshall, was recently murdered last night. We have found a replacement for him. Everyone, this is Mr. Logan."

The crowd nodded in unison and a few people greeted him by saying, "Welcome Logan." Garfield smiled and sheepishly waved at everyone.

"Okay, Mr. Logan, this is the Messor team in which you will work with." Raven gestured to the crowd of people. She began to name off names. The agents nodded when they were introduced.

"Now that that business has been taken care of, we can begin with training." Raven said.

"Now? That was fast." Garfield said. Raven motioned for the group to follow and Garfield followed closely behind her. He was so close, he could smell her shampoo. He inhaled her scent identifying a mixture of lavender and jasmine. He savored the smell until she stopped. Garfield bumped into her and she turned around to face him. Raven was in front of a red door.

"Mr. Logan, watch where you're going." she frowned "behind this door is our training faculty. We will begin training soon."

He nodded. "Um can you call me Garfield?" he asked.

She turned around and unlocked the door. "Whatever Mr. Logan." She opened the door revealing the training room. Garfield took a step inside and gawked. The training room was huge! It was about the size of a small arena. It was dark, but he was able to see. He proceeded into the training ground and the rest of the team followed. A man quickly walked to the other side of Raven. He spoke in her ear and she whispered back. He nodded and ran to the opposite direction. There were several places to sit above and the rest of the team descended to those stairs. Garfield followed behind Raven as she guided him to the middle of the training room. It was almost like a stadium, but it had earth-like elements in it and appeared to be dark and gloomy.

Raven stopped and turned around. She held out a gun and dagger for Garfield to take it. Hesitantly, he took the dagger and gun. He gave her a questionable look.

"We will begin momentarily. I will not be there to help you. You can only defend yourself. I cannot aid you in anyway. Even if you are close to death, I cannot help you." she looked into his eyes and he could see how serious she was. "You are in the fight of your life. That is how it is going to be as a Messor."

Garfield was stunned. He was nearly helpless and he knew nothing of the impending challenge. There was only one thing he knew: He could die. Garfield gulped and frowned. Raven stepped closer to him and smiled revealing her sharp, lily white teeth. Raven was inches away from his face and he could feel her warm breath against his face. His heart began to race and his eyes grew wide. She moved towards his ear, and lightly brushed her lips against it.

"Be careful" she whispered in his ear.. Then she moved away from him. Garfield was motionless and she advanced away from him. He watched her hour glass figure walk slowly to the group. Raven's hips and curves swayed side to side and she reached the seats.

A loud growl was heard from the other side of the arena. Garfield jerked around to find the sound. Appearing form the darkness was the man that whispered in Raven's ear earlier. He held a leash in hand with some resistance at the other end. Appearing from the darkness next was a dark silhouette. The figure had blood red eyes and sharp pearly-white canines. The figure growled, howled, and shook to and fro. Once the figure reached the light, Garfield was able to make-out its appearance. The creature looked to be an average man around Garfield's age. His skin was pale and he had dark circles under his red eyes. Garfield recognized what creature was in front of him. It was a demon.

Garfield was surprised to discover that the creature was in a form of a human. He saw the figures from last night, but he was unable to decrypt the body structure. He held out his gun in his right hand and placed the dagger onto his belt. The man that was holding the demon grabbed it by the hair. He turned his attention to the group. Garfield looked back and saw Raven motioning a nod. He looked back to find the man nodding as well.

"Your task Garfield." she addressed. "Kill this demon before it kills you."

Garfield looked towards the demon and found that the man was no where to be found. There was no longer a leash on the demon and it crouched down waiting to pounce on its prey. Garfield began to shake. Then, the demon charged towards the man.

**Review! Review! Review! Review! Since it is Chapter Four, I decided to put review four times. :)**


	5. Incident

Chapter Five: _Incident_

The demon quickly charged towards the man. Garfield held the gun in front of the demon. Time seemed to move by slowly. He couldn't think clearly as the demon came closer and closer. Garfield's hands began to shake and out of fear, he pulled the handgun trigger. However, the bullet missed and the demon stormed closer and once it was a few feet away, it jumped.

Before the demon could make contact with Garfield, he held out the dagger to block it's attack. The blade cut the demon's arm sending blood trickling down the blade. Garfield held the dagger tightly in his hand and the demon growled at the man. Suddenly the demon dropped to the ground and kicked Garfield to the ground with one leg. Garfield made a loud "oomph" sound as his body fell to the floor. The demon pounced on Garfield and they were struggling between each other.

The group was watching silently from the seats. Many of them were emotionless while others were clearly enjoying the spectacle. Raven sat in the front of the group with her arms crossed. She made a disgusted expression while watching what was happening. Her neighbor next to her bumped her elbow. She looked over to see the man who fetched the demon sitting next to her.

"This doesn't look good Dante." she spoke.

"Agreed, but you never know. We need to be optimistic, but rational." Dante said.

"How are we able to do that?" Raven asked with a confused face.

"Just have some faith. I know you don't believe in that kind of stuff, but just believe me." Raven huffed and continued to watch Garfield being attacked by the demon.

Garfield continued to struggle with the demon. It attempted to bite him, but Garfield was able to push him away. He jerked the demon to his right side, but the demon evaded it and bit into Garfield's arm. He winced in pain and pushed the demon off him. The demon walked back slowly. The monster's mouth was covered in Garfield's blood and it dripped to the ground. The demon licked his lips with his snake-like tongue as he savored the man's blood. Garfield nearly vomited when the demon took pleasure in tasting his blood. He held his arm that the demon bit and put pressure on it. The demon appeared preoccupied and Garfield ripped a piece of his shirt and made it into a tourniquet.

Garfield stood up with his dagger in hand. The demon smiled devilishly. Suddenly, the demon appeared behind him. Before he could completely turn around, the demon kicked the man and sent him flying to the other side of the training grounds. The entire team in the seats winced from the blow. Garfield landed on his stomach. The demon's menacing laughed echoed through the training grounds. The man looked up at the demon who was laughing at his pain.

Suddenly, something in Garfield's mind snapped. A threatening growl escaped his lips revealing his sharp canines. Raven could feel this change of behavior. His aura transformed within seconds. She had never felt this type of essence. It somewhat struck fear in her. Although the others could not feel his essence, they could tell by his appearance that something had changed. He stood up from the ground slowly from his injuries. The demon glared at the man and licked his lips.

Garfield looked at the demon with his dilated eyes. His canines grew and his hair was shaggy and wild. He held the dagger in his right hand and glared at the demon. The demon's smile faded when he saw the man. The man smiled and gestured for the demon to come closer. The demon sprinted towards the man and held out his hand in a claw like manner. Before the demon made contact with the man, Garfield ducked and appeared behind the demon. He grabbed the demon by the front of the neck and held it close to him. Garfield grabbed the dagger and held it up to the demon's neck. The demon's eyes grew wide and he gulped. Then, Garfield slashed the demon's throat. The demon cried in agony and fell to the ground. It began to convulse, until Garfield stepped on the creature's chest. He held the gun to the demon's head and shot four times until the demon lay still.

The room was silent and Garfield still held the gun near the demon. Without word, Garfield's eyes returned to its original appearance and his canines retracted to it's original form. He looked around the training faculty. Raven stood up from her seat and spoke.

"Congratulations Garfield. You are now a Messor." she lifted her hands and began to clap. The other Messors joined in and stood up as well. Garfield bowed in confidence. The team began to walk down to congratulate Mr. Logan. However, Raven and Dante stayed behind. They continued to watch Garfield begin greeted by his fellow Messors. She glared over at him with confusion in her eyes.

"Am I the only one that finds what just happened strange?" Raven asked.

"Indeed no. I, myself find it very unsettling and uneasy." Dante replied. "It appears that Mr. Logan is no ordinary human. Shall we report this to the board?"

"No. You know what happens to creatures unlike demons who are entered into the board. You know what they do to unidentified strigoi. We might as well sign his death sentence bringing him to the board."

"Then what do we do?"

"We keep him and we protect him." she said and turned around to leave. She walked towards Dante and stopped while she was beside him. "However, I need you to do some research. Find out what unknown creature he his. We need to know how to tame him if he gets out of control."

Dante nodded."As you wish milady." Then she exited the training grounds.

Garfield was graciously welcomed by the team of Messors. They complemented on his work and even gave him light punches. He smiled when being praised by his fellow comrades.

"You were like a beast out there!" One man spoke to Garfield.

Garfield smiled. He looked over to the seats to see Raven and that man that leashed the demon talking to each other. They both wore questionable looks on their face as they stared at him. He found it strange when they were bluntly staring at him. She moved towards the man and and stood next to him for only moments. Then she walked away from him and proceeded towards the door. He wondered why she left so early. Garfield looked over to the man and he continued to stare at him with confusion. It was somewhat creeping him out. He ignored the stare and continued to talk to his comrades.

**Review! :)**


	6. Weapons

Chapter Six: _Weapons_

After the ordeal, Garfield was being escorted by the man with the prosthetic arm. At first glance, he appeared intimating, but Garfield knew not the judge by appearances. The man was leading him down several hallways in the building. The walls were gray and bland with the exception of doors that appeared on each side. They were unlabeled and a few had pad locks on them. There was even one that had a chain-link lock on it. Garfield had no idea where the man was leading him. He was very vague when he told Garfield to follow him and that he had something to give him since he was now a certified Messor.

However, Garfield was not paying attention the man leading him to the unknown location, but rather on the strange occurrence that happened between him and the demon. That had never transpired before, and he was frightened that he had no control of his body. It was as if when he lost control, he was sitting on the sidelines watching himself mutilate the demon. Particularly, confused of the fact that the other Messors appeared to be oblivious of the situation. He had lost control and it was fine? How was that normal? Maybe most of them paid no mind to it, but Raven and the man appeared to curious. Garfield was uncertain of the situation and felt uneasy. Still, lost in his thoughts, the man stopped in front of him and Garfield bumped into him, instantly knocking him out of his mind.

"That was quite a show you put that there Mr. Logan." the man said and begin to walk again.

"Uh, yeah." Garfield stuttered. "what's your name by the way?"

The man turned his head to the side to look at him from behind. "Cleaver." the man simply stated.

Garfield nodded. "Nice name. Why do you call yourself that? Are you a chef?"

Cleaver turned around but continued to walk towards end of the hallway, but backwards. The man dug into the inside of his ebony trench coat and held out a large kitchen cleaver and smiled devilishly. "Well, my weapon of choice Mr. Logan. Some use fists, others use swords and guns. I prefer this. I find it arousing slashing through demons with this heavy blade." Garfield shivered a bit when the man smiled at the blade and then back at him. "Do not worry Mr. Logan. You will find your preferred weapon of choice in due time."

"Glad to know that." Garfield smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "By the way, where are we going?"

"The armory closet. We must have you prepared." Cleaver said stopping in front of an iron door. He entered in a six digit code on the keypad and held out his hand on a small scanner. Once the scanner finished examining, a little green light flashed instantly unlocking the iron door. Cleaver opened the door and gestured the rookie to enter first. Garfield walked through the door and entered the armory room.

The room was lit with florescent white lights and the room had clean white walls. There were dozens of the selves filled with guns, swords, and other small heavy artillery. There were several tables that held heavier artillery. Cleaver walked to the other side of the room and opened a closet. Garfield proceeded behind him and watched as he pulled an ebony trench coat from the closet. He examined it and look at Garfield. He held it in front of the man and squinted. He opened his eyes and threw the coats towards Garfield. The man caught it and inspected it.

"Since you are now a Messor, you are now part of our Messor squad. Our uniform is simply of ebony trench coat that distinguishes us from other Messor squads. You will wear that when you are on missions or whenever we instruct it." Cleaver explained. "There are pockets to hide your weapons, which reminds me." He trailed off and walked over to one of the shelves. Cleaver fingered through many weapons and finally pulled out a hand gun and a dagger. He walked over to Garfield and placed it in his hands.

"Give me the dagger and gun Miss Raven gave you." Cleaver commanded holding out his arm. Garfield took the gun and dagger from his back pockets and gave it to the Messor. "Yout previous gun is only a beginner Messor gun. I have given you a certified Messor gun. This one holds more bullets and has a sharper aim. The dagger you were given earlier was dull, so I gave you a sharpened one."

"Thanks Cleaver." Garfield acknowledged.

"It's part of my job." Cleaver said and began to walk out of the armory room. "It's getting late. Let's find Raven to see if she has further instructions for you." Garfield nodded and followed Cleaver. After Garfield exited the room, he entered in a security code and locked the armory.

"Where is she anyway?" Garfield asked.

"Either she is in her office or in her apartment suite. At this time usually, she is in her office. We shall proceed their first." Cleaver answered and traveled toward the elevator. Once they advanced to the 13th floor, they exited the elevator.

Cleaver proceeded to walk down the dark hallway. Clearly, Garfield walked behind the man. The hallways were dark gray and had pictures of disturbing images of demons. However, Garfield expected to the pictures to have images of fallen demons. To his surprise, there were images of demons standing tall and proud. He found it quite unsettling but said nothing of it. They reached the end of the hallway and stood in front of a red door. There was a light that escaped the bottom of the door indicating that a light was on. That did not necessarily mean there was someone beyond the door. Cleaver hesitatingly knocked on the door.

"Enter." a voice answered from the other side of the door. Cleaver opened the door revealing what was inside. Garfield entered the room peering inside. The room was large dark with the exception of a few dim lights on the walls and one light from a desk. The walls were burgundy and there were several book shelves in the room. There was a desk in the back of the room and Raven was sitting in it. It appeared that she had a stack of paperwork she was working on. Even though the two men were in the room, she did not glance from her paperwork. Cleaver stepped a few feet in front of the desk and bowed. Raven looked up from her paperwork.

"You have given Garfield his coat and weapons of course Cleaver?" she asked putting down her pen and reclined back in her chair. She laced her fingers together in front of her mouth and stared at Cleaver.

"Correct." Cleaver addressed. "I am sorry that I disturbed you during your paperwork, but it is quite late and Garfield should be heading home. Is there anything else you wish for him to do before his departure?"

She turned her gazed to Garfield. Her eyes were striking even in this type of light. She raised one side of her lip. "It's been a long day Mister Logan, you should go home. However before you leave, I need you to study the characteristics and features of a demon. We need you immediately tomorrow for your first assignment." She stood up from her chair and walked towards one of the shelves. The light perfectly accented her curves while she looked through the shelf. She fingered through the books and took out one book. It was an inch wide book with a black binding. Raven walked to Garfield and handed the man the thick book. "I require that you to read this tonight. You must know the basic characteristics of demons. If you don't read it, I'll have to kill you."

"Are you serious? I can't read this whole book in one night!" Garfield objected.

"Then you have to. Your life depends on it. Literally and metaphorically I can make sure I will make your life a living hell if you don't read this book. You chose being a Messor to live and that is what I am doing. If you want to live, read the damn book until your eyes bleed and continue to read. Do you understand my commands?" she demanded with venom in her tone.

"Y-yes. I'll r-read it t-to-tonight." Garfield stumbled fearfully.

"Did I just hear a stutter?" she glared at him with fire in her eyes. She raised part of her lips to reveal one sharp canine.

"Yes ma'am. I'll read it tonight." Garfield replied with no speech impediment.

"Great!" she shouted with delight. She walked over to her desk ans sat down. "You may go now. Cleaver will take you home. Your assignment is tomorrow night. We will pick you up at three. Now, leave me to my paperwork."

Cleaver bowed and Garfield stood frozen. Cleaver grabbed him by his neck and pulled him down to bow to Raven. After they bowed, they exited the room. Garfield was silent as they proceeded down the elevator to the ground floor. Cleaver walked out of the building and towards garage next to the building. He opened the garage door and entered it with Garfield behind him. The two men walked in the garage until Cleaver stopped in front of a black Hummer. He unlocked it and entered through the drivers side. Garfield entered the passenger side. After buckling, Cleaver drove off. The car ride was silent for a few blocks until Garfield spoke.

"Is she always like that?" Garfield asked.

"Certainly. When you are in this business you can't be weak." Cleaver answered. "She is actually one of the top Messors in the world. Particularly she is the strongest squad commander we've ever had. Raven has been our leader for four years. Most barley pass six months. She's a leader, so she must be strong. Never antagonize her. Raven thinks about others more than herself. If it appears she doesn't care about your well-being, she does care I assure you."

"I see." Garfield spoke. He processed the information in his head. It all seemed logical and convincing. There was no more he could say, but there was one impulsive thought he had. "How old is she anyway?"

"You never ask a woman her age." Cleaver said.

"Please. I'm just curious that's all." Garfield said defensively.

Soon, they reached Garfield's apartment and sighed. "Fine. She's twenty-two."

Garfield nodded. "Thanks and thank you for the ride."

"You're welcome and remember what I told you. Keep that in mind, and for God's sake read the damn book." Cleaver said and smiled.

Garfield nodded and closed the door. He watched the Hummer drive away and he went upstairs to his apartment. He entered the apartment and laid on the couch. The man sighed and lay there for a few moments. His stomach growled and he stood up from the couch. Garfield walked to the kitchen and made himself something to eat.

After he finished, Garfield saw a flashing light on his answering machine. He pressed it exposing one new message. He pressed the code to hear it.

"_Hey man it's Vic. Did you hear? Marshall got kick out of the university. I heard they took all of his stuff out and kicked him to the curb. Somethin' over tuition that was unpaid. Anyway, just wanted to know if you heard the news. Of course you must have, he was your roommate. So, anyway, call me man!" _the message said and ended. Garfield frowned and took a shower.

He walked out of the shower and got dressed for bed. Before he laid down, he saw the black book Raven gave him earlier. He stared at it for moments debating whether or not he should read it now or in the morning. Finally after much thought, he reached a final decision. Garfield grabbed the book and lay on his bed. He held the light over the book and began to read it.

_Here we go Garfield. An overnight cram session _he thought to himself and continued to read the book.

**End of Chpt. 6! You know what you should do? Review! That's correct, I said "Review."**


	7. Rookie

Chapter Seven_: Rookie_

After an overnight cram session, Garfield was able get some well deserved sleep. Until the alarm rang twenty minutes later. He groaned and slammed the snooze button. Garfield drifted off to sleep and was awoken once again by the blaring sound of the alarm clock. The man finally gained the strength to get up and prepare for the day. Garfield walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. Instead of reaching for the soy milk, the man turned on the coffee maker. Garfield walked into his bedroom and changed into a purple shirt, dark jeans, and his black trench coat. He brushed his teeth, combed his short shaggy hair, and shaved.

Garfield walked over to his coffee and poured himself a cup. He rubbed his eyes and took a drink of his coffee. After placing the cup on the table, Garfield began to make himself tofu eggs. Once he finished his eggs, he sat down at the table and ate. The man was silent throughout this whole process. He read the whole night and did not get any sleep. Hopefully, he would be able to take a cat nap before his assignment. It was nearly three in the afternoon and Garfield exited his apartment. He wished that he could drive himself over the the headquarters. After all, he did have his own car. Garfield waited patiently for his ride while going through what he read last night. Suddenly, a large SUV pulled in front of the door. The man walked towards the passenger side and opened. He was not surprised to see Cleaver in the driver's seat.

"Good afternoon Mister Logan. I trust that you slept well last night." Cleaver greeted with a smile on his face.

Garfield smirked. "Ehh. I was up all night reading that god damn book. But I slept well the whole twenty-five minutes."

"Well at least you read the book." Cleaver smiled and began to drive. "So now Miss Raven won't have to murder you."

"Well that's nice to know." Garfield replied and looked out the window.

"Anyway since you read the book, tell me what you learned from it. What are the basic characteristics of a demon?"

It took a few moments for Garfield to remember what he read last night but it came to him. "Um, demon's usually appear like normal humans. They can blend in with a crowd. The differences between a human and demon are obvious and, yet, some qualities subtle. Demons have longer canines, taller compared to a human man or a woman, ghost white skin, unnaturally colored hair, and not to mention their blood red eyes whenever wild and unruly."

"That would be correct Mister Logan. Now what is the typical demon behavior?"

"Generally, demons are denominate over other beings around them. They are cautious at times and are intelligent. Demons also prefer the night rather then the daylight. They can go into sunlight, but it is a nuisance to them. Demons tend to be rebellious and some have supernatural abilities. Many of those abilities include reading minds, transporting from one place to another within seconds, and have fast reflexes when in hand to hand battle." Cleaver nodded his head. "Demons are known to have a good sex appeal. Many have abilities to seduce humans and kill them. Not to mention in the book they had research and witness testimony that demon sexual intercourse surpassed human intercourse"

"Kudos to you Logan! You did a wonderful job. I congratulate you! However, it was unnecessary to read the section on demon sexuality." Cleaver strongly patted Garfield on his back. The two men finally reached the headquarters and entered the building. They reached the thirteenth floor and walked the same hallway they did the previous night. The men reached the same door and Cleaver knocked on the door. A feminine voice form the other side of the door spoke and the men entered the office.

Raven was leaned back in her chair with a cigarette hanging from her mouth. As the men entered she continued to stare at the ceiling. Cleaver bowed and Garfield followed afterward. The woman spun her chair to view the men. She took out her cigarette and lightly smashed it in the ash tray on her desk.

"Good afternoon Cleaver and Mister Logan." she welcomed and turned her attention to Cleaver. "Did he pass?"

"Yes Miss Raven. In fact, he passed with flying colors." Cleaver replied and Raven turned her attention to Garfield. Her stunning amethyst eyes made contact with Garfield's eyes.

"Now I won't have to mutilate you. I'm glad you read last night." she said and adjusted herself in her reclining chair. "Now let's down to business, we have our mission tonight and your first assignment. We were informed of a rogue demon that habitually visits the same club every night. The demon has killed multiple humans and the council has ordered her demise. This is where you come in Logan. We need you to infiltrate the club as yourself with no alias and disguise. You need to confirm that our suspect is indeed our rogue demon. Once you have identified her, you will leave the club and report to one of us. That's all you need to do tonight."

"Wait, so I don't get to kill any demons?" Garfield asked.

"No, but you will be given a commission of eight grand if you fulfill your duties." Raven replied. "Anyway we leave at nine tonight. I ask that you stay here until we leave. We need to draw your blood quickly and then you can get some well deserved sleep until our departure. After your blood draw, Cleaver will escort you to one of our spare suites for you to rest before our departure."

"Sounds fine, but what is the blood draw for?" Garfield asked.

"Standard procedure." She replied. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Raven shouted and the door opened revealing the man from yesterday who held the demon. He walked in a white lab coat and a clear box in hand.

"Mister Logan, you remember Dante?" Raven said to Garfield.

"Once again Mr. Logan, hello." Dante said and shook Garfield's hand. "I will be doing your blood draw now." The man took out a needle and a tube. The man placed it on the table by Raven's desk. Dante then took out a disinfecting wipe and wiped in the crease of Garfield's upper arm and upper forearm. He rubbed it for thirty seconds and threw it in the trash. The man took out the needle and put a strap on Garfield's upper arm. Dante felt for a vein and marked once he found one. "You will feel a pinch." the man said and pierced Garfield. Garfield felt a sharp pain, but it slowly disappeared. A few seconds later, Dante withdrew the needle and the tube attached to it. The man put a piece of cotton over the mark and wrapped a bandage over it. Garfield could feel a slight pain, but it was tolerable. "Okay, you are free to leave."

"Thanks. I guess I will see you guys around 8:30?" Garfield said. Raven nodded and motioned for him to leave. The man bowed and exited the room with Cleaver, leaving Dante and Raven in the room.

"Take that to the lab for testing. I hope that will help in your investigation." Raven spoke with a soft tone.

"As do I Miss Raven. Maybe this sample will give us the answer to what Mister Logan is." Dante said. Raven stared at him and motioned for him to leave. Dante followed her motion, bowed, and left her room.

Hours later, Garfield's alarm rang and it was time for him to wake up from the nap. He looked around the suite to his new surroundings. The suite was larger than his apartment. Although the walls were bare, it was quaint. He could say he loved the king sized bed, but he could no longer stay in the room fearing he would be late.

Garfield exited the suite room and locked it. He took the elevator down and went down the 12th floor. After reaching that floor, he entered through the door to the ops room. There were few people sitting on the couches and they paid no mind when Garfield entered the room. Cleaver was sitting on one of the couches and Garfield sat next to him.

Soon after, Raven walked into the room and whistled. This time, everyone was at attention. "Glad you are listening. Anyway, we will be leaving momentarily We will take two cars. I will take a car with Jenny and Dante. Cleaver, Trent, Logan, and Nayshun will take Cleaver's car. Everyone got that?" Everyone in the room nodded. "Good. Now, our destination is on 14th and Cheyenne. We meet there around 9:30. Garfield, here is a picture of our target. Study it while your way there." Raven handed the man a picture of a woman. Particularly, a mug shot of the woman. She had pale skin, red-orange hair, and eyes red as blood. She had a mole in her leftcheek and a tattoo of a star above her right breast. Raven opened the door and everyone followed behind. Garfield trailed behind Cleaver.

They drove off to their destination with everyone in their designated cars. Garfield sat in the back with Trent and Nayshun. They were quiet men and barely spoke. Garfield's only concern was to study the mugshot. He studied it carefully and the car stopped in front of the club.

"Okay Logan, this is where you go. We will be stationed outside of the club. Nayshun will be inside in case you need him. Just remember, identify and get the hell out of there. Kay?" Cleaver commanded to the man. Garfield nodded and exited the car door.

Garfield entered the club and searched for the woman. He scanned the entire area and located a red haired woman at the bar. She was sitting next to a man flashing her sharp canines in seduction. Clearly, the man next to her was interested. Garfield walked towards the woman and sat to the vacant chair next to the woman. Garfield ordered a glass of water and the woman next to him looked over her shoulder. He looked at her and gave her a smile. Her appearance looked exactly like the woman in the mugshot. The woman exposed her cleavage, revealing her star tattoo above her right breast. Garfield looked away from the woman and she was disappointed that the man did not want to converse with her.

Garfield received his water and the woman puffed out her chest for Garfield to see. Apparently, she attempted to make her breasts appear larger, but it didn't make much of a difference. The man looked over and the woman was pleased. The woman had a certain, unique smell about her. She smelt just like the demon he battled yesterday. He didn't know how he could distinguish their particular smell. Garfield left he bartender the money for the water and left the club. He saw Cleaver outside the club and nodded. Cleaver did the same and pressed on his blue-tooth piece and spoke into it. Immediately, the man entered the night club and he saw several shadows go into the club. Garfield could only stand by the cars and wait. He looked over the one of the side buildings and saw a female figure standing by the edge of the building. After looking for some time, Garfield could tell the woman had bright violet eyes. It was indeed Raven. However, a thought came across his mind.

_Could she be? No. _Garfield brushed it off and continued to wait for the rest of the team.

**It's chapter seven! And it's over! It's Review tyyyymmme! :D**


	8. Inconvenience

Chapter Eight_: Inconvenience _

Garfield pulled his new red Saleen Mustang in front of the restaurant. He got a phonecall earlier today from Victor to meet up with him this afternoon. Garfield hadn't realized that it had been two weeks since he became a Messor. The man didn't have any time for his friend. He was either doing his schoolwork, going to class, sleeping, and doing his uncover duties as a Messor. Garfield realized that this job was simple and he was able to balance it with his schoolwork. The only thing he didn't have time for was to hang out with his friends. Finally, he had a afternoon free from college and work. He now considered being a Messor his new job. After all, he was able to trade in his old raggedy car to purchase his new Mustang.

The man walked into the restaurant and noticed Victor sitting near the farthest window. Garfield walked casually towards his best friend. Victor was smiling as he held out a glass of soda. Garfield greeted him and Victor welcomed him to the table.

"What's up man?" Victor said "Haven't seen you in weeks or heard from you until today."

"Sorry dude. I've just been really busy lately. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch with you." Garfield replied.

"It's fine man. I just wanted to keep in touch with you." Victor said "How have you been since Marshall got left?"

It has been weeks since Marshall's murder and Garfield barley remembered him. He hated lying to his best friend, but what could he say. _Oh I've been just fine. I haven't thought about him since he was slaughtered by demons. Oh and by the way, I have his job now. _Victor might thought of him as insane. "It's been tough. I miss his snoring from the other side of the apartment. He didn't even say goodbye. Marshall packed all of his belongings and then left. I haven't seen him since we left the night club." Garfield spoke.

"I see. It's weird that he's gone. You'd think he'd leave a note or a phone number to call him. No one has heard from him, but he probably moved back home. He might show up in the future." Victor said taking a drink of his soda. A waitress came around and Garfield ordered a soda as well.

"I couldn't help but notice, you have a new car. Where did you steal that from?" Victor said smiling knowing his friend would never do such a crime.

"That's my car dude." Garfield replied.

"Damn, and where did you get the money for that?" Victor asked in curiosity.

Garfield was speechless. He had never come up with an excuse for the car. It was indeed his car, but he worked as a Messor to get the car. Victor knew Garfield would never dip into his parent's live insurance money they left him after their death. Garfield refused to touch the money. He worked for scholarships for college and did not need any loans. The man was saving the money for the future. He simply said this, "Oh funny Vic. It's my car. I've been working a new job at the animal control."

Victor raised his eyebrow and gave the man a questionable look. "Now how the hell did you get that job? I thought you hated animal control."

"I did before I worked there, but now as I experience it, it's not as bad as I thought about it. The job does have its cons, but the benefits outweigh them. I saved up some money and traded in my crappy car for this sweet mustang." Garfield said hiding behind his lies. Victor just nodded.

"I thought either that, or you found a girlfriend with a lot of money." Victor said poking fun at his friend.

"Oh funny funny Vic." Garfield said and suddenly his phone began to ring. He sighed in frustration and gave his friend a sad look asking if he could answer it. Victor replied with a nod and Garfield gave his friend a reassuring smile. Garfield took his phone from his pocket and looked at the caller identification. The screen read "Raven" and Garfield frowned in frustration. It was his afternoon free from school and she was pulling him into a mission for tonight. He would have to admit, it was getting tiresome. Knowing if he didn't answer the phone, the man would surely feel the woman's wrath. So, he answered the phone with a cold greeting.

"What?" he answered coldly to the woman on the other side of the phone.

"_Hello to you as well Mr. Logan. I don't even want to bother asking how you are, as I can see you are quite fine with something stuck up your ass." _Raven said irritated.

Feeling her anger, Garfield sighed and relieved his frustration. "Sorry. What is it you want? I'm kinda busy at this moment."

"_Well excuse me as I take time out of my day to tell you of your mission tonight. __But, __I guess I have to move my planner around. I need to fit in your demise. Let's see, let's see. Hmm, I'm debating whether I should hunt you down now, or wait until later tonight. Oh what to do, what to do?" _the woman spoke with her cynical, yet graceful voice. Instantly, her calm tone seemed to strike fear in the man.

"Listen, I'm sorry. What about tonight?" Garfield apologized. Victor looked over the man across form him with a questionable look. Victor can clearly hear that it was a woman's voice on the other side of the line. Victor became suspicious.

"_I may have to disregard your previous attitude. Anyway, we have an important mission tonight that needs some preparation and informing. I need you here within the hour. Fail to follow instructions, and I may have to follow through with my scheduling plans." _Raven said_. _

Feeling disappointment, he agreed to meet her and hung up after they ended the phone call. Garfield looked over to his friend and Victor had a smile on his face.

"What?" Garfield asked.

"Nothing man. You don't need to lie to me man. I know you were just talking to girl and she sounded pissed. Are you sure you don't have a girlfriend?" Victor asked leaning forward.

Garfield stood up for his seat and gave his friend the money for his drink he did not receive yet. "I told you, I don't have a girlfriend. The woman I was talking to was my boss and she wants me to come in now. Sorry I have to cut this short, but she will ring my neck if I don't show up on time."

"Sounds like a girlfriend, but whatever you want to call it. I guess I'll see you later." Victor waved goodbye and watched his friend leave the restaurant. Garfield's drink arrived and Victor drank it.

Garfield parked his mustang in the parking garage. He finally got a parking permit and the code to enter the facility. He trudged through the hallway, elevator, and the Raven's office. He knocked and without hearing a voice, he entered. He found the woman not fully dressed. She wore a thin black undershirt showing a glimpse of her red bra, and she wore black spandex shorts that were bikini cut length. She was startled and she moved her trench coat to cover herself. Garfield was immediately embarrassed and exited the room. His cheeks were hot and beating red. The man would have to admit, she had a body of a supermodel. She was thin and her breasts were larger than they looked when under her trench coat. He thought that she looked. . .sexy. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the door behind him open and he fell on the floor. His head hached from the fall and looked up to discover Raven sheering mad. Her amethyst eyes glared into his eyes. Garfield quickly scooted away from her and stood up. He was instantly scared, and knew he was surely dead. She glared at him with her cold and focused eyes for moments and she spoke.

"You've been here for this amount of time and you clearly do not remember not to enter my office without me saying to come in or not." Raven said leaning against the door seal. Garfield gulped.

"My apologies." he said under his breath.

She raised an eyebrow. "Just act like you didn't see anything okay?"

"I didn't see what?" he said playfully. She simply scowled and motioned for him to enter her office. Garfield hesitantly entered the room and sat in to chair across form her desk. She walked over to her desk and held out a photograph. The photograph showed two men that looked similar. They were both pale, and had dark hair. There was only one difference, one had crimson eyes and the other had dark brown eyes.

"For our mission tonight, I need you to go after the man on the left." She pointed to the man with the blood red eyes. "The others are occupied at the moment and I need you to go after this one. He has a twin brother and he has some information quite valuable to us. I need you to lure him outside and I will take care of him. This is a strong demon and I need you to be armed but cautious. I don't need him or his brother dead. Please don't do anything impulsive either. Do I make myself clear?" Garfield nodded. "Good, Cleaver gave you your weapons. After the others have finished their tasks, they will meet up with us. We leave in half a hour and we will leave in my car."

"Sounds fine." Garfield said looking down at the picture. The picture next to the demon appeared strange. If these two were twin brothers, wouldn't it make sense that both men were both demons. But the man on the right appeared to be normal. He didn't ask Raven, but he left the room. Without saying goodbye Raven lay her head on her desk in frustration. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door.

"I'm decent." she said with her voice muffed. The door opened.

"I'm glad to hear that Miss Raven." Dante said with a clipboard in his hands. "I've got the results from the lab." Instantly Raven lifted her head from the desk.

"Well?" she urged the man to speak.

"The lab went through all the tests we had, but everything came up negative. He's a normal human being."

"Then what will explain what happened during training?"

Dante shrugged. "A sudden rush of adrenaline?"

"Like hell it was. Something in his aura changed. His domineer changed and he was not a human when he fought that demon. Something has to be explained. This wasn't a case of adrenaline rush I swear to you."

Dante raised an eyebrow. "What do you swear on? Your father's life?" he said bitterly.

Raven slammed her fists against the desk making Dante slightly shaking. "Don't you dare mention him. I don't have anything to swear upon. Besides, I've already swore on my mother's grave and I'm keeping that promise. If you know what's good for you, leave now." she shot with venom in her voice. Dante immediately scrambled out of the room leaving a trail of fear behind him.

Raven leaned back in her chair looking up at her ceiling. She reached into her trench coat pocket trying to feel for her cigarette box. She found the box and opened it. To her disappointment, there were none left.

_Damn _she spoke to herself. She stared at the ceiling for some time having the image of Garfield Logan in her mind.

"What the hell are you?" she questioned to the empty atmosphere.


	9. Disturbance

Chapter Nine_: Disturbance_

Since it was a weekday, the streets of the city were barely filled with people and cars. It was nearly 9:30 in the evening as Raven drove to their destination. Garfield sat in the passenger seat gazing out the window. There was an awkward silence that lingered in the vehicle. The man still couldn't get the image out his head for earlier. He tried heavily to remove it from his mind, but it still lingered in his head. Trying to distract himself, he looked over to Raven who had her eyes focused on the road. Her blue-tooth illuminated a blue light in the dark car. She briefly talked to Cleaver then hung up.

"Cleaver and the others said they will be joining us within the hour." she spoke breaking the tense atmosphere.

"When do I get one of those ear-piece thingys?" Garfield asked pointed to the woman's ear.

"In good time. Just worry about your assignment tonight. Remember to only get them out of the night club. The two brothers are very close; however, one will point the finger at the other. Be careful. I want them both alive, especially our informant, Clint. Don't do anything irrational Logan." Raven informed.

"Yes ma'am." Garfield replied but a question lingered in his head for some time. "What information does the Clint have?"

Moments passed as Raven debated whether or not to answer the man's question. Her lips parted over her white teeth and spoke. "To be honest, Clint knows the whereabouts of a certain demon."

The man was interested in the mystery of the demon. He liked mysteries, but did she have to be so vague all the time? "And who would that demon be?" He asked hoping her could get more out of the woman.

Instantly, Raven's domineer changed. She was calm before, but after Garfield's question, her behavior changed. She clenched her fist to the steering wheel and furrowed her forehead. She sighed and spoke. "Trigon the Terrible."

Instantly, the name of the demon struck fear in the man. Such a title behind the name surely means that the demon is truly powerful. "Okay, so why are you after this demon?"

She squeezed her fist even more and it nearly turned white. "I've got a score to settle with the bastard."

"I see." Garfield said and continued to stare at the frustrated woman. He stared at her for while hoping she would extend more on the conversation. She had a graceful voice even when she was enraged. Moments passed and he didn't get any more information. "What's the score?" the man asked.

The woman continued to watch traffic. She slowly released her fist and relaxed them on the steering wheel. She looked over to him briefly and Garfield got the message. It was evident that she was annoyed by all his questions. If he asked anymore questions, he knew it would anger her more. The man turned away from the driver and resumed looking out the window.

Garfield began to ponder within his mind. _What did this Trigon the Terrible do to have this woman to seek revenge on him? He must have really pissed her off. Beside the point, I wish she would at least talk to me. She must be an insecure person. How come she knows so much about me, and I don't know squat about her? She's too mysterious, and I have to crack her. Raven must be hiding something, but if I snoop around I know I may be next on her hit-list._

The bar was surprisingly full for a weekday crowd. Garfield placed his hands in his trench coat and scanned through the crowd. Usually, he was able to detect the scent of a demon or they would at least stick out in a crowd. However, this time was different. He couldn't even find the two men he was looking for. Yet again, he scanned and scanned the room, but nothing came up. _Was Raven's information wrong? No, it couldn't be. But where the hell are the guys? _Garfield asked to himself walking through the crowd of people mingling amongst one another. Suddenly, a man fitting the description exited the bathroom door and walked towards Garfield. The man clearly was the informant. The man walked towards Garfield and casually sat next to him. He gazed ahead of him trying not to make eye contact.

"Good evening" the man greeted to Garfield. "You must be under Miss Raven's supervision I must assume."

Garfield turned to face the man and nodded. "Yes and you are the informant. She is waiting for you outside. I'll quickly escort you out."

The man simply laughed. "No need at this moment. Besides, have a drink with my brother and I. Which reminds me, where the hell is the man?" As if on cue, a figure appeared behind the man named Clint.

"Ah brother! Talking about me behind my back again I see?" the figure said behind Clint. Garfield turned to the figure behind Clint. The man behind him appeared different in the picture. He looked, normal. Of course the two were twins, but in the photograph they looked different. One brother fit the description of the demonic looking twin, while the other appeared human as well. This is the time he wished he would have had that earpiece. The man had no way to communicate to Raven. Who knows where she may be? So Garfield did the only thing he could do: improvise. Clearly, he would have to keep tabs on the first man since he was the informant.

As time passed, Garfield continued to wait for the right time to take the men outside. It was a difficult task since they appeared reluctant to leave the bar. Several women would approach the two men and began to flirt with them. The men seemed comfortable with the women around and even started to kiss them on the lips and nip at their necks. Garfield, on the other hand, was uncomfortable. As the women enjoyed their necks being attacked, Garfield continued to stare at the glass of alcohol in front of him. The mission was not supposed to take this long, and Raven would surely be upset. He lifted up his head and turned it to the men. He was about to request that they leave, but Clint spoke.

"I believe it is getting quite late. This man has requested our presence outside brother." Clint spoke.

"I see. Then we best get going," the other twin said and held two women to each of his sides. Garfield stood up and began to walk towards the entrance. However, the two men walked in a different direction towards the side door. Raven wanted them to be at the entrance, but at least they will be outside in the alley. Who knows, she could be on the top of the roof waiting for them.

The group exited and stood in the middle of the alley. Garfield looked around for Raven, but she was nowhere. He continued to scan around the premises and she did not appear. Suddenly, Garfield felt this strange presence behind him. Before he could turn around, the man was grabbed in a choke hold. There was a strain of pressure behind him, as the figure behind began to constrict. Garfield struggled within the figure's grip and out of desperation for breath, the man bit down into the figure's arm instantly drawing blood. The figure let go of the man and Garfield took in a deep breath desperate for air. He turned around to find that the figure was one of the twins. Clearly, it was the one that was supposed to be murdered since his appearance and domineer changed. The man had red eyes and sharp canines. The demon began to breath heavy and growl under his breath. The Messor peered over the demon and found a similar creature behind the man. The women behind him appeared to be demons as well. Their crimson eyes glowed in the darkness. With the exception of one woman, she seemed to keep her composure and distant herself from the other twin. Garfield was expecting Clint behind his brother, but it was the opposite. The man behind him appeared to look like a demon. It had the same appearance as the demon in front of him.

Garfield was confused at the moment. _Are these guys bipolar? First they look human and now they look like they want to kill me!_

"As you can see brother, the man in front of you is a Messor and was instructed by, none other than, a half-breed to kill you." the man said behind the demon with a devilish grin. To Garfield, it sounded like Clint. He double crossed the demons and the Messors. The demon in front of the Messor was clearly his brother. Garfield quickly grabbed the gun from his pocket and held it out on front of the demon. The demon only grinned and before Garfield could shoot, the demon was in front of the man. The handgun was knocked from Garfield's grip sending it into the darkness. The demon smiled showing his white fangs. Without a chance, the man was lifted from the ground as the demon held him upwards. The demon stared into Garfield's eyes and licked his lips slowly.

Garfield could feel the fear within him rise. He was going to die unless he did something. However, something rose deep within him. It was the same feeling in the training room. The feeling of hatred, anger, and blood-lust filtered throughout his body. The instinct of survival manifested in his psyche during his confusion. Garfield could feel a burning sensation in his stomach when he feared losing control of his body and his mind. Whatever was happening, it was reluctant to be passed off and wanted to take control. Without a moment's notice, he gave into the rage and anger.

The hairs on the back of Garfield's neck and shoulder rose, and his body began to relax from the demon's grip. His nails began to grow and his teeth as well. The demon tilted his head in confused. A soft growl escaped Garfield's lips. The demon could sense this new feeling from the man. It was no longer filled with fear, but blood lust. Before the demon could make a move, Garfield regained his composer and dug his sharp nails in the demon's face. The demon let go of the man out of pain. The creature screamed in pain and grabbed his face. Garfield's eyes were black and dilated. He picked up the demon and threw him against the brick wall with immense force. The demon cried in agony and the audience behind him fell silent. A gasp escaped their lips and the women clung closer to the man. With a wicked grin on Garfield's face, he walked over to the fallen demon and stopped a foot away from it. The demon was whimpering and crying under his breath. Uninterested, the Messor grabbed the demon by the neck and snapped it with a second. The demon fell to the ground and the air fell silent.

A huge grin filled Garfield's face and he turned to the other demon and the women. The demon was clearly terrified. Out of desperation, the demon threw two of the women to the ground and asked that he take the women instead of him. The demon slowly eased back and Garfield casually walked over. As he approached the demon, he walked over the weeping women paying no mind to them. The demon slowly backed up, but Garfield grabbed the creature by the neck and stared icily into the red eyes of the demon. The man smirked and was about to snap the demon's neck until a strong hand pulled him away.

Garfield was knocked onto the ground and the demon fell several feet away from him. The man opened his eyes to see what grabbed him. His vision was blurry and the feeling of rage was gone. His green eyes tried to adjust when he realized Cleaver was standing over him. When Garfield became conscious, Cleaver pulled the man from the ground.

"What the hell happened?" Garfield asked rubbing his head feeling disoriented.

"I don't know, you tell me." Cleaver replied.

Before Garfield could speak, a shadow dropped from the sky. The figure had a feminine physique and when she walked into the light of the moon, Garfield had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Raven came into sight from the darkness with an angry expression on her face. Her eyes were fixated on Garfield and he slumped down. Unknown to the Messors, the demon slowly stood up and retreated.

"I thought I told you to bring them out the front and I thought I clearly said to have them both alive." the woman snarled.

"W-well it d-din-n't turn out t-that way." Garfield stuttered.

She scowled at him and continued at walk towards him. Once she reached him, Raven stopped to his side facing the opposite direction. "Now, I have to hunt down my informant and get whatever I can out of him. I wish to not see you at the moment." she spat and directed her voice towards Cleaver, "Get him away from me before I strangle him. Take him to headquarters immediately. I will talk to him there after I'm done hunting. I will take Dante and Trent along. You and everyone else go and do not speak a word to him until I do. Be in the ops room waiting for me. I don't like lairs and I can tell if you lie to me. Now I must go." Raven commanded and with a swift moment, dashed towards the direction Clint fled.

Garfield began to shake and Cleaver walked towards the street. The man followed after him as the sinking feeling make his stomach drop.

**Oh dang! He's in trouble now! Tell me what you think so far! :)**


	10. Dense

Chapter Ten_: Dense_

To his dismay, Garfield was not surprised the car ride to the headquarters was dead silent. Everyone in the car was speechless. Garfield didn't make eye contact with the other Messors, and stared out the window to watched traffic pass. Once they approached closer to the building, Garfield could hear mumbled whispers behind him. Cleaver reached the garage and parked the vehicle in its designated spot. The Messors exited the car and Garfield slowly drifted behind them. The elevator ride to the ops room was as silent as the car ride. The Messors reached the ops room and sat around the couches. Garfield only paced around the room waiting for the rest of the team to return.

He paced slowly trying to calm himself down. The man had a feeling of anxiety, but it did not derive the impending argument between Raven and him. It was mainly brought on by Garfield's change. Yet again, he felt powerless and inferior since something took over his body. His previous situation, the man was more fearful. The thought that he killed a demon by simply snapping its neck made him shiver.

Suddenly, the doors to the ops room opened revealing Dante and Trent. Trailing behind the men was an angered Raven. Surprisingly, she her appearance was calm, but Garfield could feel her anger surrounding her body. There were a few spatters of fresh blood on her trench coat and heels. The woman didn't even bother wiping trickles of blood on her right cheek. Everyone hastily stood up and the woman situated herself in the middle of the room. Unfortunately, Garfield stood right across form her. She glared at him with intensity trying to strike fear in him. The man swallowed and cleared his throat.

"Listen I," Garfield spoke but was cut off by Raven's hand in front of him.

"You couldn't even follow a simple order, could you?" the woman asked bitterly.

"Hey this wasn't my fault. If I would have had an earpiece or if you were there. . ." the man raised his voice and again was interrupted by the woman.

"And now you blame me for this?" Raven raising her voice and began to slowly clap taunting the man, "Bravo, Garfield. That's so immature of you since you have no one else to blame but yourself. Way to go. Since it was I who was supposed to go fetch the targets, _unharmed_, and safely bring them to someone who can properly dispose of the them. I guess my job as commander of this group has been demoted to a rookie who can't even control himself or yet, finish a simple task."

Garfield could feel his control slipping. "Oh yeah, like I'm not the one that loses control! We all do. Just look at yourself, you're losing control now. I can see your hand shaking." She didn't realize, but her right hand was trembling from anger and frustration. "I was simply doing my job, but you are the leader and you should have been around to back me up. The situation probably could have been helped."

"Oh yes it could have been helped, _if _you were to follow my instructions completely. I wouldn't have had to kill my informant and kill the demon woman he used as a shield. I wanted the men alive and, in the end, they're both dead and an innocent demon girl got killed because of it."

"Would it have made any difference? I didn't know there was such a thing as an _innocent_ demon." Garfield retorted. Instantly, Raven's eyes widened and the group the Messors backed away slowly.

The woman inhaled a deep breath, and leaned forward. "_Excuse me? _What did you say?" She said under her breath.

"You heard what I said. That demon girl would have gone and killed someone by now. At least she won't hurt anyone. Who knows what the demon could have done? I don't even know why you even hesitated killing the demon. All demons I have known are savage. I would have just killed her then and there." Garfield yelled.

"You've got to be the most ignorant man I've ever met. I can't believe you would even consider to just kill an innocent demon. She wasn't going to do anything and she wasn't on the hit-list." The woman shot back.

"She would be in the future. You just helped finish the job. Sooner or later, all demons, 'innocent' or not, are going to be on the Messor assassination list."

Raven snarled under her breath, and made a bee-line towards the man in front of her. She picked him up from the ground by his throat having him hanging a few inches off the ground. The woman scowled at the man in her grasp. Her eyes transitioned to a crimson red and bared her teeth exposing her sharp canines. Her forehead was furrowed and her nails dug into the base of his neck. Garfield could feel her demeanor change as rage seemed to fill the air around this woman.

Under a deep, raspy voice, the woman said "Without a moment's hesitation, I could kill you right here, right now."

The man panicked from the woman in front of him. She terrified him more than the demon he ever faced. Before she could cause harm, Cleaver and Trent grabbed the woman and yanked her away from the man in her grasp. As fast as they grabbed her, Trent quickly released his grip and staggered away from the woman. Garfield fell to the ground but picked himself up.

Cleaver kept a loose grip on Raven's shoulder and her appearance began to transform back to her normal self. She glared at Garfield and he could feel her anger slowly fading. The woman exhaled and growled under her breath. Her fist clenched and she swiftly punched Garfield in the cheek. He would have to admit, she almost shattered his cheekbone. Garfield staggered and stumbled, but did not fall to the ground. He stared in surprise and the woman stood in front of him. The hand that punched him was lightly bleeding. She raised her upper lip in a soft growl and turned around. The group moved in order for her to exit the ops room. When she stormed out of the room, trickles of blood fell on the ground staining the carpet.

After the door closed, the Messor team glared at Garfield as if he were an insect. The man rubbed his cheek where Raven punched him. He was so confused at the moment and his heart continued to race. Some of the Messors scuffed and left the ops room in a different direction where Raven went. This only left Cleaver, Dante, and Garfield alone in the ops room.

"What did I do?" the man asked still rubbing his cheek.

"You should think before you speak." Cleaver spat crossing his arms.

"What do you mean by that? She was doing the same thing. I was only defending myself." Garfield shot back.

"She was right, you really are ignorant." Dante spoke to Cleaver.

"She had me cornered! What else could I do?" Garfield defended.

"You could have had some sympathy for the woman." Cleaver spoke. "She had to kill an innocent person."

"It wouldn't have made a difference." Garfield said bitterly to the men in front of him. "I don't know why she's so defensive about it."

Cleaver and Dante looked at each other and gave each other disapproving looks. Cleaver shook his head and Dante did the same.

"You are one dense man, Mister Logan." Cleaver stated.

Garfield raised an eyebrow and gave the man a questionable look. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Point proven," Cleaver said smirking finding the man's ignorance amusing. "You can't even get it through your thick skull. You've known her for how many weeks and you haven't even figured it out?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Garfield asked with a confusing look in his face.

Cleaver sighed and looked and Dante. The man nodded and Cleaver resumed his banter with Garfield. "You are ignorant and dense. You do know what Miss Raven is?"

Garfield crossed his arms. "A bitch who acts like something's stuck up her ass."

It was evident that Cleaver was getting irritated and frustrated. "Okay. Let me make this clear. Raven, is part demon."

The man was stunted. His prediction a few weeks ago was correct. How could he not have noticed. _That explains her attitude towards everyone. Even her demeaning and aggressive behavior. She fits most of the description of the demon profile. This makes no sense though. _"Wait, if she's a demon, why is she hunting demons?" he asked.

Cleaver leaned against one of the couches ready to explain. "I didn't say she was a full demon though Logan. The woman is only half-demon."

"Then what's the other half?"

"You can't be that dense!" Dante shouted from the other side of the couch.

Cleaver kept his calm composer. "Miss Raven's father is a full-blooded demon, and her mother is a full-fledged human."

Now Garfield felt even guiltier. She was only part demon and the other half was human. How could he say such hurtful things to her when he didn't even understand who she was? It must have been painful for her to kill one of her own kind who did not commit a crime. He couldn't imagine walking in her shoes moments ago. He no longer condemned her behavior, but only condemned his behavior.

"You see Mister Logan, Raven is passionate when it comes to demon hunting. She has one goal in mind she pursues each time she fights her own kind. Her pursuit of Trigon the Terrible's demise."

"That explains it but why specifically him?" Garfield asked.

"He is her father." Dante said blankly. Yet again, Garfield was stunted and speechless. Not only was she a half-demon, her father was one of the most dangerous demons in the Messor world. It seemed strange that her father was a feared demon and she was his offspring. He never expected this and his guilt only seemed to build up within him.

"I know you may be wondering why she wants to kill him. I will simply explain." Cleaver said. "the demon murdered her mother right in front of her."

Instantly, Garfield felt his stomach drop. Now he felt that his actions earlier were unsympathetic. No wonder the other Messors looked at him like he was an insect. Garfield felt like crawling into a corner, but he knew he had to make amends to her. _If only she could forgive me after what I did _Garfield thought.

"Now I feel like shit." Garfield admitted. "I have to talk to her. I can't imagine what's going on in her mind right now."

Dante shook his head and sighed. "It probably wouldn't make a difference." he taunted. Cleaver looked at the man and scowled at him.

"Not cool Dante." Cleaver spoke and turned his attention to Logan. "You are right and now that you have that information imbedded into your thick skull, I implore you to apologize." Garfield nodded and headed to the door, but Cleaver stopped him. "You may find her on the roof. She usually goes up there to meditate and calm herself down. Good luck." Garfield nodded and quickly ran out the door.

"He's dead." Dante muttered. Cleaver only sighed and rubbed his forehead.


	11. Misunderstandings

Chapter Eleven: _Misunderstandings_

Garfield took the elevator up to the roof. The building was a substantial height and he found it strange that Cleaver claimed she would be up on the roof. He expected the woman to be locked up in her room and would refuse to come out. At least there was a possibility he could talk to her without being thrown off the roof. Only a small piece of him believed that. His guilt was building up every floor he passed and his remorse was beginning to manifest. Garfield felt sick from guilt, but had nothing to vomit. Once he reached the top floor, his stomach was nauseous. To his disappointment, the elevator led him to one more flight of stairs that directed to the roof door. He cautiously walked up the stairs and reached the metal door leading to the roof. The man hesitantly opened the door.

When Garfield opened the door, he scanned for the woman. He saw a dark silhouette sitting several feet from the edge of the roof. The figure was in the fetal position and was staring off into the clear night. The moon was full and as Garfield approached the figure, it was none other than Raven. He tentatively stopped a few feet behind her. She seemed to not notice him or she was ignoring him. The man cleared his throat but did not get a response.

"Um, hey Raven." Garfield said sheepishly. Still no response from the woman. "I actually expected you up here with a cigarette in your mouth but I guess I was wrong." Silence. Obviously, the woman didn't find his assumption amusing. She continued her vacant stare into the skyline.

Trying to get closer to her, he asked. "Mind if I take a seat next to you?"

"Would it make a difference?" she said bitterly.

"I deserved that." he said with remorse, and casually sat next to her. She continued to stare at the sky without a glance at the man. For moments, Garfield did the same. The man sat in silence and looked at the sky, moon, and the city skyline. He would have to admit it, it was beautiful scene.

_No wonder why she came up her to clear her mind. It's so peaceful and tranquil _he thought.

Moments passed admiring the scene, and Garfield mustered his courage to look at the woman. She sat in the fetal position with her arms crossed above her knees. Her head was resting on her arms and she wore a sad expression. Raven's eyes were glistening from the moonlight and were glossy as if she were crying. He had never seen her his way. She seemed so vulnerable and fragile. He knew that he his comment got to her and she clearly showed it. The man was sad that he had to be the one to spark this feeling of depression and vulnerability. It was obvious he had to atone for what he said earlier.

"Let me put this forward," he spoke breathing the silence and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for the hurtful things I said earlier. I'll admit that I'm ignorant and I didn't understand. I shouldn't have said those things and I can't imagine what's going through your mind. And I will never understand."

She moved her head to face the man next her. There was a twinkle in her eyes and her expression changed. Her eyes told him to continue.

"I said hurtful things that would make me crawl into a corner. So I apologize and I'm sorry I didn't follow through with your orders. You told me not to do anything impulsive, and I clearly did. . ." he apologized but was cut off by the woman.

"You are forgiven." she said and stretched out her legs and reached her arms behind her for support. "and I hope that you can forgive me." To his surprise, she was apologizing to him. This was unlike her but she was so fragile at this moment. "I shouldn't put so much pressure and strain on my Messors. I expected too much out of you guys. I should have considered that things never go the way it was planned. It wasn't even your fault and I blamed you for it and I'm sorry."

Her words were very meaningful to him and he never expected them to escape her lips. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. "I forgive you as well." he said. There was a moment of time where they just stared at each other until he spoke. "You were right that I was ignorant."

"You should already know that, but what did Cleaver tell you?" she said fixating on the man.

"To be honest, he told me about, _you." _he said with hesitation in his voice.

"I see." she said in realization. "Now you know what I am and most likely my past. Great, now the cat is out of the bag. What did he tell you?"

"He told me that you were a half-demon, about Trigon, and your mother."

She raised her head towards the sky. This was subject she rarely wanted to talk about. "Now that you know this information, I want you to know that I don't want you walking on egg shells around me. I'm a big girl and I can handle myself."

The man chuckled. Trying to lighten the mood, he spoke. "So do you really kill people if they don't follow your orders?"

"I'm not that vindictive. I just used it put up a front, but convincing isn't it?" she asked.

"I'll have to admit that." he laughed.

"Really? I find it pitiful." she lightly chuckled. He finally got her to laugh! He finally succeed on making her laugh.

"No, it's not pitiful." he said and she looked over to him. He seemed to change since their confrontation. He appeared to be. . .mature. She really hoped it would last. She regretted

she punched the man in the face over a small confrontation. In fact, there were no cuts or bruises on her hand. He was certain that hand was the one that punched him.

"You know, you can pack a lot of force in your punch. You practically almost broke my cheekbone." the man said rubbing his cheek she punched earlier. There was a large bruise that slowly began to appear, and his cheek was swollen. Raven reached for his face and cupped his cheek. His cheek was tender, but her touch was soft. Suddenly, a blue light illuminated around Raven's hand and onto Garfield's cheek. Within seconds, Garfield's pain faded away and she withdrew her gentle touch. The man slowly lifted up his hand to his cheek and was surprised to find that the lump was gone. He pressed his cheek and it was no longer tender.

"How did you do that?" he asked in amazement.

Raven smiled. "I have healing abilities. I got it from my mother. She was a medicine woman and taught me how to use what she taught me to induce rapid healing." she said with a soft smile. It was strange to see the sympathetic side of Raven. Garfield admired her sympathy towards him.

They suddenly locked eyes, and Garfield could feel a spark. Her eyes were so lustrous and incandescent in the moonlight. He couldn't look away from her eyes and he felt a strong feeling in his stomach. Moments passed in their stare, and Garfield did something impulsive. He scooted closer to her and sat adjacent to her. Being as bold as he was, he cautiously pulled her closer to his side. Garfield felt like he was going too far, but he received a reaction he never expected. Raven put her head in his shoulder and stared into radiant sky. Unknowing to the man, Raven was completely flushed when he pulled her closer to him. She wanted to shrug it off, but the warmth of his body gave her comfort. She could smell his cologne and instinctively rested her head on his shoulder. Moments passed in this state of bliss, but Raven withdrew from the closeness. She stood up and gave him a demulcent smile.

"Thank you for forgiving me." she said.

"You're welcome and thank you for forgiving me." Garfield said and stood up. "But I still feel that I need to make amends. I was actually hoping, that possibly, I could take you out for coffee?"

"Listen, you don't need to make amends. Your apology is enough." she replied.

"I know, but I said a lot of hurtful things back there and an apology isn't enough to satisfy me. Please." he begged.

"I don't know." she said hesitantly.

"Let me rephrase," he cleared his throat. "let me, as your subordinate, take my commander to meet up for some coffee. I wish to better understand my boss so nothing like this ever happens."

It took her moments to think it over, but she caved in since he was giving her the puppy dog look. "Fine. Tomorrow afternoon then."

Garfield smiled and, yet again, he did something irrational and bold. He wrapped his arms around the woman in a hug. Raven was clearly caught off guard as he pressed himself closer to her. She considered this would be there only moment, so she decided to do nothing about it. However, she didn't move and Garfield let go of her feeling her awkwardness. On the other hand, he had a huge grin on his face.

"Thanks Rae!" he said leaving the roof.

"Don't call me that!" she complained. "it's Raven!" Before she could get the point across, he shut the roof door behind him. She sighed and stared at the moon with a faint smile on her face. She lingered on the roof for some time and then exited.

When Raven reached her bureau floor, she was surprised to see Trent sitting by her office door with a something metallic in his hands. He was relieved to see her as she approached closer to him.

"What are you doing here Trent? Shouldn't you be asleep?" she asked and he stood up holding the disc in front of her. "What is this?"

"This is the footage from earlier's incident. The club had cameras in their alley and I got the recording. You may want to see this." he said with a worried expression on his face. Immediately, Raven was concerned.

She opened the office door and invited Trent inside. Raven walked over to her DVD player, located in the corner of her office, and inserted the disc in the player. Before watching the footage, she sat in her reclining chair and Trent sat across from her watching the film. The footage was only five minutes long and Raven's eyes were glued to the screen. Under realization, her eyes widened and her mouth nearly dropped to the ground. Once the video was over, Trent spoke.

"I hope this answers our inquiry to what Mr. Logan is."

"I can't believe it. I thought this could never happen." she stood up and ejected the disc. "This will, indeed, be the key to our investigation, but I want to be certain our hypothesis is one hundred percent correct. I know you're thinking the same thing I am." she returned to her desk and started to write on a piece of paper. She handed the paper to Trent and he eagerly took the inscribed note. "I want you to order this test to the lab. Go there now." she demanded. Trent took the paper, as well as the disc, and left the room. Raven reclined in her chair staring at the ceiling. She hoped that the test would confirm her suspicions. She rubbed her temples in frustration wishing she had a cigarette.

***dramatic music starts playing* So, what do you think so far? Opinions? Comments? Please Review what you think so far.**


	12. Coffee

Chapter Twelve: _Coffee_

"So how did you convince me to have coffee with you?" Raven said holding her vanilla latte in her right hand. She held it close to her lips and took a drink. She stared at the man in front of her with a grin spread on his face.

Wiggling his eyebrows, he said, "It's my face. Irresistible" His smirk grew larger.

She rolled her eyes and set down her beverage. "I could just leave you know. I've got things to do Mister Logan."

"I told you to call me Garfield. Mister Logan, just sounds so formal." he said, "Since we are trying to get to know each other to make up for what happened yesterday, I feel it may be right for you to call me Garfield."

"Whatever," she said tapping the lid of her coffee. "Listen, I know you mean well and have good intentions, but I don't feel like sharing all of my feelings. This isn't a hug time session. Whatever I want to say, I will say. Don't force me to say things I don't want to say. So, do I make myself clear Mister Logan?"

Garfield raised his eyebrow, "Only if you call me by my name."

"Fine" she spat and rubbed her forehead. She ran her fingers through her hair and pushed some of it back. After her hair was slightly pulled back, Garfield noticed that her roots were purple and there were a several sections of violet in her hair. However, the rest of her hair was clearly dyed black, although it did not fully conceal her natural hair color. Garfield remembered when he first read that book that demons have odd natural colored hair He felt stupid that he never even noticed.

"You know if you dye your hair so much, your hair is going to fall out." Garfield spoke.

"Way to go Sherlock, you don't think I know that?" Her hand returned to her cup. "I dye it to get rid of this awful hair color."

"I think you would look cuter with all of your natural hair color." Garfield spoke not realizing what he just said.

She sighed annoyed. "I'll do whatever the hell I want to. It won't even matter how much I dye my hair, my natural color always seems to come through."

Feeling her annoyance, he tried to move on with the subject. "So, how does it feel to be a half-demon and all?" Garfield asked.

"Sucks." she said bitterly and took a drink of her coffee. "I'll most likely be the only half-demon you will ever meet."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"As I said before, I'll probably be the only half-demon you will ever meet." she replied.

"But, it's not like I've meet any other demon except in battle." he said.

She raised her lips in a smirk and lightly laughed. "You really are dense aren't you?"

"Why does everyone tell me I'm dense?"

"Because it's true." she continued to smirk. "Throughout your life, you have met countless demons without your knowledge."

"Not that I remember." he shrugged.

"Let's see," she pondered for a moment, "you know that girl that sits across the room in your Anatomy class? She has the aqua blue hair."

Garfield thought for a moment and came to her conclusion. "Seriously?"

Raven nodded. "And you know your mythology professor?"

His eyes widened. "You mean . . " he trailed off and she nodded. "Damn. I guess I am dense."

"Told you so." she drank the rest of her coffee.

Garfield thought for moments and spoke. "So, okay I get what you meant earlier, but since I've met all of these friendly demons, why would you be the only half-demon I would meet?"

Raven stared at the man, debating whether or not to answer his question. She sighed. "Truly, no full-blooded demon wants to raise a half-demon or associate with them."

"I see," Garfield said "but what about you?"

"Damn you are annoying." she said with aggravation. She took a deep breath and sighed.

Feeling her frustration, he backed off defensively. "Okay, you don't need to answer that."

She held up her free hand. "I might as well say it since you inquired about it." she said and lowered her hand. "My mother fled to another dimension after being raped by my father. Surprisingly, to the city of Azarath. This truly concealed my presences for some time. You see after I was born, Trigon wanted my demise but my mother thought otherwise. What other place to hide yourself and your child than Azarath? It was quint, but the ironic thing is, Azarath is where the origin of the Messors. Ironic how Pacifistic inhabitants raise a half-demon when they are demon hunters themselves." A small smile lit her face and she stared down at her empty coffee cup.

"So, demon hunters raised a half-demon?" he asked.

She nodded. "Correct. As much as I love talking about my wonderful childhood, I wish that we change the subject. Since I gave a glimpse of my wonderful family, why don't you tell me about your family?"

"I really don't feel that it's right that I speak about myself." he said hesitantly.

Raven raised her eyebrow. "Listen, I asked you a simple question. I will make sure your life as a Messor is a living hell if you don't comply. Trust me, I know what hell is like."

"You don't mean that. Like you said yesterday, you never killed any of your Messors."

"There's a first time for everything Garfield. Don't tempt me."

"Might as well answer that because you called me by my name." he gave in. "My parents were biologists in Africa and when I was five, they died. I was adopted by my foster parents and moved here a few years later."

"Tragic." she said with a hint of emotion in her voice. She was about to speak when an unfamiliar voice interrupted her.

"Gar!" a man shouted and they looked at the voice. Garfield looked at the man and it was none other than Victor. He had forgotten that Vic habitually visited this coffee shop since it was close to campus. The man wore a devious grin on his face Garfield was immediately embarrassed to what his friend _might _do. Instead of ignoring his friend, he waved and greeted him. The man walked closer to their table and Raven wore a look of confusion.

"Hey man, haven't seen ya in a while." Vic said and looked over to the woman sitting across from Garfield and smiled. He returned his attention to his friend. "Man, I knew you had a girlfriend." Raven and Garfield's eye immediately shot wide and coughed.

"Vic, she isn't my girlfriend. She's my. . ." Garfield said but was interrupted.

"I'm his boss, Rachel Roth. You must be Victor Stone." she addressed the man extending her hand.

"You are correct ma'am." Victor replied shaking her hand. "But I never knew of a boss taking her employee out to coffee to be very common." Garfield's cheeks began to flush with red. He knew this wasn't going to end well.

"I know it may seem that way, but I lost a bet to Mister Logan and I had to comply with his demand taking his boss for a cup of coffee." she said.

"Oh, that's how they say it these days." Victor said feeling slightly unconvinced.

She smiled and said, "I don't mix business with pleasure Mister Stone. Did it once, ended not in my favor. If I did, why would I choose him?"

Garfield mouth opened and surprisingly, Victor laughed. "Good point." Suddenly, Raven's phone rang and she excused herself from the table. The two men watched as she talked on her phone. Clearly, whoever she was talking to, it wasn't a good phone call.

Victor nudged his friend. "You can't tell me that you had your eye on that before?"

"No, I haven't" Garfield lied.

"She's got a hot ass body" Victor said nearly drooling.

"Dude! That's my boss!" Garfield shouted hoping Raven wouldn't hear.

Raven walked back to the table with anger in her expression. "Listen, I've got to go. One of dogs got lose and the whole place is in chaos without me. So, I'm going. It was a pleasure meeting you Victor Stone. Garfield, you are scheduled to come in eight." she said and left without their response. She walked to her Porsche and drove off. Victor and Garfield sat befuddled how fast she got up and out of the coffee shop.

**Short chapter! **


	13. Scent

Chapter Thirteen:_ Scent_

Time passed as the months passed along with them. Garfield continued his studies as well as his Messor work. However, it was summertime and Garfield was free from the worries of college. Everyone he knew at college left to their families, but he usually stayed in town. His friend Victor went home an hour away. To Garfield's dismay and his joy, he would often pass his time at the Messor headquarters. He knew it sounded pitiful, but he preferred company with his fellow Messors.

When he would pass the time, Garfield would often relax. However, most of the time, you would find him in the training room either sparring with Cleaver or working out in solitude. Today was like one of those days. Garfield was in the training room lifting weights. Since he began working as a Messor, the man began to work out more often. Over the past months, his body began to strengthen. His muscles were more visible, and to his joy, a six pack slowly began to emerge. He had more stamina when it came to demon hunting, and ever since the incident with the twin demons, there had been no mistakes ever since.

Raven would often bring him to more and more missions as he was more experienced. Sometimes, she would require that he go along with her if the others were preoccupied. Things seemed to be going in his favor; however there was one thing that often bothered him over the past few months. Whenever they were on a mission and Garfield was assigned to it, it appeared that she was a little jumpy around him. Once, she was startled when he was just right next to her. Strange as it was, it appeared that she was distant from him at times. It was almost if she was putting up her defensive guard when she was around him.

_It's truly strange _he thought to himself has he lifted up the bar weight. He began to lift some more weight. Lost in his pondering, he did not realize that Cleaver walked into the training room.

"Hey Gar." the man greeted interrupting Garfield out of his thoughts.

"What's up dude?" he answered lifting the bar weight.

Cleaver smiled, but it instantly faded into a curious expression. He peered over to Garfield and looked at the bar weight. "I don't know how to say this Gar, but pace yourself. You don't need to lift three-hundred pound weights to prove a point of your masculinity. You're gonna end up hurting yourself."

Garfield slowly dropped the bar weight down and looked at Cleaver who was amazed. "I'm not trying to prove anything Cleaver. I've been doing three-hundred's for the past week. Last week I did two-hundred fifties'. I think I've gotten stronger since I've been working out more often."

"Well, it's unbelievable that you can lift that much. Just don't get cocky." Cleaver said and walked over the dumbbells.

Garfield lifted some more weights, and finally finished his last pull. He stretched and stood up. Sweat glistened down his bare chest and matted his hair down. He brushed a towel against his hair, and dried the sweat form his chest.

"Hey, Cleaver. I've got a question." Garfield addressed to the man lifted weights. Cleaver turned his attention to the man.

"Sure. Shoot." he simply said lifting one weight in his right hand.

"I didn't think that you noticed, but Raven seems to be distant from me lately. It's almost as if she's kinda afraid of me." he said.

"Well, that's not really a question, but I don't know why you would think that she would be afraid of you. It may seem that she's distant from you, but that is how she is. She doesn't really get close to anyone. Pardon for my bluntness, but get used to it." Cleaver replied.

"Well I know that, but she wasn't that way when I first started." Garfield said.

"Then you should ask her yourself. You should have gone to her in the first place. Do I look like Miss Raven?" he lightly laughed.

"No, but you sure do lift weights like a girl." Garfield said and Cleaver glared at him. "I'll go ask her myself then."

"Good. Now go before I kick your ass." Cleaver threatened with humor in his tone.

He reached the thirteenth floor and walked towards Raven's office. He knocked at her door and waited for a response. Silence. He tried yet again and there was no response. Garfield cautiously opened the door to her office and peeked in. He peeked into the office, and saw that the lights were off and there was no woman in the office. Garfield sighed in frustration and closed the door to Raven's office. He leaned up against the door and thought for a moment. There were only three places you would find Raven during this time of day; either in her office, the roof, or her bedroom. After much thought, he proceeded to the right of the hallway of the thirteenth floor.

_I know I may be signing my death certificate, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Or maybe it will. If she isn't in her apartment, I'll check the roof. _He thought to himself as he approached closer and closer to his destination.

He stopped in front of the door to his destination. The front of the door read "Raven" Nervously, he knocked on the door waiting for a response. He knocked a few more times and did not receive a response. Out of curiosity, he held the knob to the door and twisted it. To his surprise, the door was unlocked. Looking left and right of the hallway, he opened the door completely and entered inside. He gently closed the door behind him.

Unlike the office, the lights in the suite were on. Garfield looked around the apartment suite. There was a kitchen, a living room with a television set, a hallway in the back, and a few closed doors. The decor was modern, and yet, it had a Gothic touch to it. It was a little too dark for his tastes, but it was expected. However, her scent filled the entire suite. It smelled of lavender and jasmine and he slowly took an intake of the scent. The man walked cautiously in the suite looking around. It was the same built as the suite he slept in months ago. He dared not to open the doors in the hallways, but there was one in particular door he was drawn to.

Like the front door, he cautiously opened the door. He cracked the door a bit looking around the mysterious room. Slowly, he opened the door completely. He looked around to what appeared to be the master bedroom. Bookshelves lined a portion of the wall and a circular queen sized bed lay in the center back of the bedroom. The room had a strong scent of lavender and jasmine than the rest of the apartment. He closed his eyes and took another large intake of her scent.

Suddenly, Garfield's senses perked and he heard something from another door that was in the bedroom. He leaned closer to the door and soon was in front of it. To his discovery, he heard the sound of trickling water echo on the other side of the door. His hand began to tremble and he slowly lowered his hand to the door handle. Slowly and cautiously, he cracked the door. Steam escaped the room and the water got louder. He looked through the cracked door and to his discovery it was a bathroom and the shower was on. Garfield looked over the closed shower curtain and could sense that someone was in there. Suddenly, he heard an angelic sound coming from the shower. Garfield heard the sound of peaceful humming. He knew that the humming sound did, indeed, sound like Raven.

The man stood at the door for what seemed like forever listening to her hum. Pulling him back from his tranquilly, the water stopped. Garfield snapped from his trance and saw the curtain slowly open. Before he could see anything, he frantically stepped back from the door. He heard the sound of the woman exiting the shower, and he tiptoed out of the apartment suite. When he closed the door, he began to hyperventilate. He leaned up against the opposite wall and caught his breath.

He walked away from the door and proceeded to the elevator with composure. He walked into the ops room to find Cleaver sharpening his weapon.

"So, did you get your answer?" Cleaver asked.

Garfield bit his bottom lip and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "No, I couldn't find her." he simply stated and walked towards the kitchen.

A few hours later, Garfield lay asleep on the couch of the ops room. He was awoken by the feeling of someone gently tapping their hands on his face. His eyes opened slowly trying to get used to the light. He saw Raven tapping his face and calling his name. Under realization, Garfield jumped from the couch and landed on the floor. A roar of laughter was heard from Cleaver who was on the other couch.

Garfield looked up to see a smirk on Raven's face. "Can I help you?" Garfield said sheepishly.

"Yes, we have an assignment tonight and we leave in fifteen minutes." she said raising her eyebrow still wearing a smirk on her face.


	14. Occurrence

Chapter Fourteen_: Occurrence_

The journey to their assignment destination was silent the entire way. Dante drove with Raven in the front passenger seat while Garfield, Cleaver, and Trent sat in the back of the vehicle. He was given his usual assignment, find the demon, escort it outside, and have the others take care of it. He closed his eyes and leaned against the window. The residual smell of lavender infiltrated his nose and he smiled brightly inside. Promptly, the car came to a stop and Garfield opened his eyes. He straightened himself up and made sure he had his weapons.

"You know what to do." Raven said with a soft tone. He looked over to the woman and her amethyst eyes kindled in the darkness. He nodded and exited the car.

Garfield entered the bar and scanned for his targets. There were three targets he was pursuing; all of them demon males. Once he found the demons, he cleverly convinced them to leave the bar. However, things seemed to be too easy. As they followed the men into the back of the building, the rest of the team instantly surrounded them. The demons looked around frantically looking for a way to escape. They were outnumbered three to five. However, that did not faze one of the demons. The demon's bellowed laugh echoed in the air. He looked over to the woman.

"My my, what do we have here? A half-demon hunting demons." the demon smiled revealing his white sharp canines. It appeared that he was the leader of the group. "Never thought I'd see the day demons would be hunting their own kind. Tell me miss, what is your name?"

"Oh you lived to see the day, but too bad that has to be the day of your demise." she spat.

"Excuse me miss, but I did ask you a question." the demon said.

"What's it to you?"

"Out of plain respect miss. You already know my name, I presume, shouldn't I know my capture's name?"

"Sorry, but you don't get the privilege of knowing my name." she calmly said holding her gun in front of her.

"Guess that must be so," the demon said coldly and wore a smirk on his face. "Empress Raven."

Raven's eyes grew wide and she clenched her gun. "Since you already knew my name, why ask?"

"It doesn't hurt to ask a pretty woman her name." he said winking and licked his lips seductively. She merely delivered the man a disgusting expression on her face.

The ops team proceeded closer to the demons and Garfield held back. A few shots were fired and painful screams echoed in the wind. However, these weren't demonic cries of pain. Instead of the demons collapsing to the ground, Garfield found Trent, Dante, and Cleaver lying on the ground in agony. Cleaver held his arm, Dante held his right leg, while Trent held his chest lying on the ground. Raven stood motionless with her gun in front of her. A scrape of blood trickled down her cheek. Fortunately, two of the demons were trembling. However, to their dismay, they slowly regained their composure. Garfield ran towards Raven but she pointed the gun towards him. He stopped mid in his tracks with a confused expression on his face.

"Garfield, step back." she ordered. "This is a powerful demon. We underestimated him. Go, and get the others." She returned her glare to the demon in front of her. The woman pointed the gun to the demon and the male merely smirked.

"I guess it is to your advantage that you are partial demon after all." the demon chuckled. "However, I am very surprised you did not bring along humans that can match a demon's speed. Pity. At least one of your subordinates seems to get the memo of stepping back from demon business."

Suddenly, she fired her gun and the front-runner demon dodged each bullet. The other demons kept their ground and watched Raven and their leader fight. She advanced towards the demon and continued to shoot. To her surprise, the demon appeared behind her and grabbed her gun. He crushed it within seconds and Raven turned around. Before she could react, the demon grabbed her hair and forced her to the ground. Once she was on the ground, the demon dug his foot above her back. He removed his foot within seconds and then quickly lay on top of her. Raven tried to get the demon off of her, but his weigh was immense. She screamed but was silenced when the demon covered his hand over her mouth.

"Now be a good girl," he whispered in her ear. She attempted to bit down, but it failed. She struggled underneath the demon. The satisfied demon smiled exposing his sharp canines and licked the side of the woman's ear. A frigid shiver traveled down her spine and she cursed in her frantic thoughts. She continued to struggle for was seemed like forever.

Garfield struggled between following Raven's demands, or saving her. Either he would get someone else to help her, or he would have to. Suddenly, a scream escaped her lips and the feeling of rage consumed his body. It was the same feeling he had months ago, but this time, it felt stronger. He heard a low growl echo in his mind. After what happened the previously when he gave into these feelings, things didn't turn out the way they were supposed to. He debated within himself fearing the consequences, but the sound of Raven's cry for help concluded his thoughts.

Raven lay on the ground crying for help hoping that, for the first time as a commander, Garfield would disobey her orders and help her. However, she thought that he needed to save himself instead of her. She continued to struggle, but she felt a new presence. Within a second, an immense force pulled the demon off of Raven and dragged him away from her.

Still in shock, Raven looked around to find what mysterious presence knocked the demon. To her surprise, she saw a green creature fighting off the demon leader. The creature looked beast-like and was hunched over like a primal animal. The creature's face was elongated and its eyes where pure black. Raven's eyes widened as her own realization dawned on her. She could sense that the creature was Garfield. His aura was present, but it was nearly overcome by the creature's dominance.

The creature snapped its teeth at the demon and the demon tried to defend himself. Suddenly, the creature grabbed the demon by his throat. The mysterious creature howled to the sky and threw the man upwards. Before the demon fell to the ground, the primal animal dragged his claws through the man's torso. The claws pierced through the demon's stomach and escaped its way through its spine. It grabbed the demon by the back and clawed what remained of the demon. The creature's claws where seeped with blood and pools of crimson soaked the tainted ground. With one last swipe, the brute dropped the remnants of the demon he slaughtered.

Suddenly, the large wild animal directed his attention over to the two terrified demons. Before they could flee, the animal appeared in front of them. Swiftly, he did the same thing he did to their leader within a few moments. After the mutilation, the beast panted and howled to the open sky. The fiend lifted up his right paw and licked the blood that covered his long nails. Suddenly, the creature jerked around when he heard a faint cracking noise. The entity discovered a woman cautiously taking steps towards him.

The brute kept his ground as the woman approached closer. When she was a few feet away from him the creature snarled and growled at her. She instantly stopped her approach. He could sense her fear, and to his surprise, her bravery. The primal creature regained his defensive stance and stared down the woman. There was certain smell about her that the animal truly loathed but at the same time, found intoxicating.

"Garfield?" Raven asked cautiously taking a few steps towards him. The wild being continued his growling. "It's me Garfield, Raven." she spoke softly.

The creature flinched but kept his composure. He watched as the woman approached closer and closer to him. Before he knew it, she was only a few inches away from his face. Timidly, she looked into the creatures dark eyes.

"Garfield" she whispered and lifted her hands to cup the sides of his face gently. "Come back." she pleaded. The primal fiend continued his stance and looked into Raven's eyes.

"Come back" she simply whispered and begged for her teammate to return. Suddenly, the man could feel his rage escape his body. The creature relaxed and retracted his bared teeth. Suddenly, the wild animal transformed back into a man. Before the man fell to the ground, Raven caught him. His body lay limp in her arms, but he was still breathing.

"Garfield?" she asked. He opened his eyes slightly, and fell out of consciousness.


	15. Entity

Chapter Fifteen:_ Entity_

As he drifted back into reality, a burning sensation streamed throughout his body. It was a feeling he had never experienced. The darkness enveloped all his sight, but the sound of a heart monitor echoed in his mind. He took a deep breath filling his lungs with air and exhaled. Slowly, his eyes fluttered opened to the blistering lights above. Soon enough, his eyes adjusted to the florescent lights. Once his eyes adapted, the man looked around his surroundings to discover he was lying in a hospital bed. Everything in the room was white, including the walls, sheets, and neighboring hospital beds. To his surprise, the room had several windows that looked out to the city. It was clearly afternoon due to the sun's position.

For moments, the man lay in confusion until previous memories floated into his mind. Garfield remembered watching the demon attack Raven, watching her struggle, his anger rising within, giving into the sensation, and opening his eyes to see Raven before falling into the darkness. A sharp pain was felt in his chest and he grabbed his bare chest in order to ease the sudden pain. While evaluating his condition, everything appeared to be normal. The only exclusions were the heart monitors and the I.V.'s attached to him. However, to his fortune, he appeared to be healthy. All the man needed was an explanation. He closed his eyes waiting for an answer.

By luck of serendipity, he felt a presence near the doorway. He cautiously opened his eyes to discover what presence he felt. The man found Raven leaning against the door way facing sideways to the hospital bed. She held a book in her hand casually and used her other hand to support herself. He continued to stare at her for moments hoping she would sense that he was awake. Raven turned a page in her book and peered over to Garfield's bed. Her eyes met with his and she closed her book. There was relief written on her face. Although she had worry and fear mixed in her expression. However, she gave him a soft smile as she proceeded into the room. Raven walked to his side and sat in the chair next to him. She put her hands in her lap and stared at the man.

"Hey," he greeted breaking the silence.

"Hello," she simply replied. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing fine. Although I'm a little hot." he responded.

"That's normal." she muttered under her breath.

He didn't hear what she said, but didn't attempt asking her to repeat what she just said. "Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in the medical bay at headquarters." she said "We brought you here after you passed out."

"I can see that." he smiled, but it faded slowly. They sat there for moments in an awkward silence. Garfield finally got the courage to break the tense atmosphere. "What happened?"

She sighed trying to relieve herself. "We were fighting demons and I underestimated them. Cleaver, Dante, and Trent were badly injured and you killed the demons and passed out."

"Well, I know that!" he raised his voice." but I transformed into something! I brutally slaughtered those demons! I don't know what the hell came over me."

Raven's expression changed suddenly. "I do." Her smile was swiped away and her face portrayed worry. She looked down to the floor and returned her gaze. "Yes, you transformed last night and killed the demons."

"Don't you think I know that?" he said bitterly. "You know what happened don't you? Please, tell me."

She bit her lower lip and released it. "I should have told you months ago. It's just. . . I wanted to have the right time to tell you this, but it seems that I pushed it off too long. I am sorry." She looked away from him.

"Please," he begged. "Will you just tell me?" Garfield gently grabbed her hand that lay on her lap.

She looked into his eyes and could see how desperate he was. "I will keep this right-to-the point." she began, "after an investigation and after the incident with the demon twins we concluded what has been going on. We believe that you have a beast entity that lives dormant inside you. It's been suppressed all of your life, until just recently."

Garfield's mouth dropped to the ground and his face went pale. He gulped. "You can't be serious." She gave a stern serious face to answer his question. Garfield lay staring at the ceiling letting the information sink in his head.

"Are you okay?" Raven asked with sympathy.

Garfield only continued to stare at the ceiling filtering what was going on in his mind. "I don't know. I feel fine, but should I be worried?"

"I don't know myself." she shrugged. "There are a few things I know about beast entities. They are powerful creatures. I don't know if this will bring you comfort you, but they are known for their tactics when killing demons. They are gone, but there are rare occasions when they emerge. However once they are found, they are destroyed because of their reputation of their proficient demon slaughters. That is why Trigon ordered their demise centuries ago. He ordered all the beasts to be wiped off the earth and other dimensions. I know that there are few remaining, and you are one of them. Never thought I would see the day."

"I don't know if I feel better about this or not." he said saddened. "Why did it appear now since it's been with me all my life, and how did I get it?"

"Honestly no one knows, but I think I have an idea." she said adjusting herself in her chair. He returned his hand to his side and waited for her to continue. "I think since you began demon hunting it awoke your beast entity."

"Good explanation." he said and stared at his hands. "How do I control this?"

She raised her index finger and rested up above her lips. She leaned back in her chair. "I have an idea, but I don't know if you would like it."

Garfield adjusted himself so he was sitting upright. Desperation was written all over his face. "What is it?" he eagerly asked.

"Well, my abilities put stress on me and sometimes they are hard to control. My mother taught me meditation and it truly helps. I don't know if you would have the patience or attention span." she answered.

Garfield pondered for a moment struggling between himself. "I'll think about it." he said with a smile on his face.

"Although you don't have any injuries, would you like to take some time off?" she asked.

"I'm feeling fine. I see no point in lying around. I'll be fine. I might even take you up on your offer." he replied.

A soft smile appeared on her lips. "Let me take those monitors off of you."

She stood up and leaned over him. Her breasts were only inches away from his face and Garfield's face instantly was flushed with red. She unhooked the I.V. safely and wrapped his hand. To his realization, he was shirtless, and did not notice. She unhooked the heart monitor off of him and the monitor instantly flat-lined. He removed the white sheets and to his relief was still wearing the jeans he last remembered. Garfield stood up from the hospital bed and stretched exposing his chiseled abs. Raven looked away as she began to blush.

"I suppose I'm released Doctor Raven?" he asked playfully.

Raven turned around with her cheeks with a hint of red. "Yes you can, just relax for a while. We do not have an assignment tonight."

Garfield nodded and smiled. "Well thank you. I'm glad I know what's going on, so thanks again."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop thanking me. You can leave now."

He walked towards the door and almost bumped into Cleaver when he tried entering the medic bay. He wore a sling on his right arm. "Well hello Garfield! Glad you are feeling better." he greeted.

"Damn, you got hurt." Garfield said look at the sling.

Cleaver lifted his shoulders and shrugged. "I've had worse. Raven here will heal me a bit so I can get better. Don't worry."

"I hope you get better Cleaver." Garfield said and turned his attention to Raven. "Thanks Rae, and I'll guess I'll see you later." Raven simply nodded and he exited the medical bay. Cleaver and Raven watched as he left down the hallway.

Cleaver looked over to the woman. "Did you tell him?"

"Yes I did." she replied "and surprisingly he took it well."

"That's if you told him _everything_" he emphasized. Raven looked way from Cleaver and stared into the distance. Cleaver raised an eyebrow and became suspicious. "You did tell him everything, _correct._" he slowly said leaning closer to the woman.

"Well, most of it and the important things."

"Of course, but did you tell him that he changes whenever he feels his life is in danger?"

"No, I neglected to tell him that. I'll tell him the next time I see him."

"Then I also think you neglected to mention that he transforms whenever he feels that his chosen mate is in danger as well."

She furrowed her eyebrow and looked over to Cleaver in sheer embarrassment. "I don't know if I would tell him that."

"If you don't, I will." Cleaver threatened.

"You wouldn't"

"Oh, I would. Don't tempt me Miss Raven."

"Then I guess you will have to wait six weeks until your arm completely heals on its own." she shot back.

Cleaver gave her a dis-concerned look. "You demon!"

"And you know it." she replied.


	16. Contact

Chapter Sixteen: _Contact_

_Concentrate Gar, concentrate. . . _he thought. Time passed as he spoke to himself within his own mind waiting for an answer to appear. He bit his lower lip and squeezed his eyes shut. Moments passed as his patience began to become weary. To relax the tension building within him, Garfield let out an exasperating sigh.

"As I have told you these past months, you need to concentrate." a familiar voice said only a few feet away from him.

He opened his eyes a peered over to the voice. Raven sat in the lotus position in a tranquil state. Trying to disregard his impatience was a harsh task and a difficult challenge for the half-demon. It began to influence her concentration as well.

"I know Rae," he whined "but why do I have to sit here doing nothing. It's soooo boring"

"As I have told you time and time again these past few months, you need to tame the inner beast by putting yourself at ease." she opened one of her eyes. "and don't call me Rae. It's Raven."

Frustrated, he let out exasperating sigh and laid down on the concrete rooftop. Garfield stared as the clouds flew over him. It was quite peaceful. After letting moments pass in silence, he spoke.

"Okay fine then." Garfield said, "but I don't feel like mediating any more. It doesn't do anything for me. I feel that I'm in more control of myself when I work out. You know what I mean?"

"No." she quickly said. "The battle lies between you and beast within. Not because of your physical strength, but your mental stability."

Garfield sat up giving her a questionable look. Although her eyes were closed, she could sense his expression. "Well that's a bunch of bull. It may work for your abilities, but if you haven't noticed, my situation is different."

"So, you believe you are in more control of yourself when your physical state is challenged?" she asked.

"Umm yeah. That's what I've been saying." he replied with a cocky tone.

"Okay then. Who have you been sparring with?"

"Trent and Cleaver."

A small smile appeared across her face. "They are good opponents, but not fit for your situation and condition. No offense to them. You have strong abilities that are more powerful than they could ever be." she explained.

"So you're saying I'm so strong no one can take me on?" Garfield said with an egotistical grin on his face.

"I didn't say that though." she said. "Let me clarify, you just need a stronger opponent."

"And I suppose you know someone who is?" Garfield leaned forward. She simply nodded. "And who would this opponent be?"

"This woman with two thumbs." she said in her signature monotone voice.

"Ha! So you do have jokes. I believe I've begun to rub off on you." Garfield said with a smile.

"No, I've always had moments, but mine are better than yours." she opened one eye.

"Okay then, you name the time and the place." Garfield challenged.

"How about now?' she said and instantly Raven appeared next to him.

"Wait, what?" Garfield asked before he was rolled onto his stomach with Raven's heels digging into his spine. Knowing she was being serious, he went into attack mode. Garfield grabbed her heel and rolled over to his side. He kept a tight grip on her boot and attempted to swipe her down under her knee. However, once he made contact with the inside of her knee, she withdrew her body and sprang a few feet away from him. Quickly, Garfield got to his feet and stared at his opponent.

Feeling his instincts take over, Garfield charged towards the woman. She kept her composure as he approached closer to the woman. He jerked his arm towards her shoulder, but in a graceful movement, she avoided contact with his fist. Before he could register what happened, Garfield was brought to the ground being pinned down by the half-demon. Her hands held his wrists down against the rooftop concrete and her knees were pressed against his thighs straddling the man. Garfield was amazed at how fast she pinned him to the ground. Raven smiled and raised her eyebrow.

"I win." she whispered. Although he was defeated in the battle, Garfield felt a strange sense flow throughout his body. He knew this feeling and it was the same sensation he felt months ago. This time, however, it felt stronger. Her amethyst eyes stared deep within his green eyes. Garfield lightly blushed since their faces were so close. Suddenly, the door opened to the roof. Instantly, Raven and Garfield looked at the new presence.

Cleaver appeared from the door way and stopped in his tracks to the sight before him. "I'm sorry to disturb you." he almost said in a stutter.

Raven slowly lifted herself from pinning Garfield to the ground and kept her composure. "You didn't disturb us. I'm just teaching a lesson to Garfield here. He needed a sparring partner." Garfield could only grin sheepishly as he tried to get up on his feet.

"Whatever you want to call it. Anyway, I've got some news that will be of interest to you" Cleaver addressed holding a piece of paper in his hands.

Raven's calm expression soon changed taking interest. "Interesting you say?"

"Yes Miss Raven." Cleaver said. "but I wish to share this news with you privately please. You can share this news with the others once I am finished explaining." Cleaver quickly glanced over to Garfield.

"Okay. Let's discuss this in my office." she said and turned her attention to Garfield. "Nice sparring today, but you are too tense and you need more practice. Now, go to the common room and everyone else will join you momentarily."

"Sure." he complied and watched as Raven and Cleaver departed from the roof. As he stood there, he began to replay what happened moments ago in his mind. He could still feel her body pressing against him on the concrete rooftop. Garfield could still she the luster in her amethyst eyes as she peered into them. He couldn't help but ponder his thoughts on her lips. They were glossy and appeared smooth to the touch. They were so tempting to touch, but he knew she had her boundaries. But he couldn't help wonder why she set up boundaries around when moments ago she was practically straddling him. Once he felt that they descended further away from the roof, Garfield bid an empty farewell and exited the rooftop.

About a half an hour passed as Garfield became impatient waiting on the couch. All the Messors from the squad were assembling in the room as well. Only Raven, Cleaver, and Dante were absent. He continued to wonder what the news was that was so interesting to Raven. However, soon his question would be answered.

As if on cue, Raven entered the room with Dante and Cleaver trailing behind her. Surprisingly, she wore satisfied grin that crossed her lips. Everyone in the room sense this unwary behavior from the half-demon. They became unsettled by the news that she was to report.

"Everyone," she addressed, "I have just recently heard some news that was uncovered by our own Cleaver and Dante that I wish to share with you."

The Messors in the room immediately paid close attention as to what she was going to say: Garfield in particular.

"It has been uncovered that a member of the Scath has once appeared in this dimension. This information was uncovered by another Messor squad, but they knew my close connection to this case and handed their information to us. They have informed us that a demon, Seth, has some information vital to goal. We will ambush them tonight." she explained.

The squad nodded in approval and understanding. "Count me in." a squad member said and everyone else followed in the same phrase. Garfield only sat in silence feeling an odd sensation in his stomach.

"But, I must warn everyone," Raven's expression soon changed "this will be a dangerous mission. We estimate there to be about thirty or more demons in the building. Many of them armed and dangerous. I do not want what happened month ago to occur once again. Everyone must wear a bullet-proof vest to avoid injury. I will also use some of my abilities to shield your bodies as well."

There was an immediate objection to her commands. "But Miss Raven, that would drain your energy for the battle. I must decline your offer of protection." Cleaver objected behind the woman. The other Messors agreed to his objection.

"I do not care if it does. I do not want my team to be hurt over a single bullet. I cannot do this on my own and I am going to need all of your help. I want no further objections. We meet back here at nine." she turned towards Cleaver. "I expect that after this meeting, you escort everyone to the armory to retrieve their bulletproof vests." Raven returned her gaze to the audience in front of her. "Now, I will brief on our plan of assault once everyone has assembled. As to this meeting, you are dismissed." Immediately, Raven exited the room without a word from her squad. The room was silent as everyone followed after Cleaver to the armory.

The old warehouse was located on the furthest side of town. It was an unusual location the squad had ever visited since their main assignments were downtown. Strangely, the warehouse was close to the forest that was on the edge of the city. The warehouse look decrepit and abandoned, but that was not the case.

The Messor squad had arrived at their destination. They separated into several teams covering the entire building. Each Messor wore a bulletproof vest and light-weight armor. Before their departure, Raven shielded their armor. Although it took much out of her, she was still enthusiastic about the ambush.

The teams split up into their own designated directions. Silently, Raven pointed for them to move to their assigned positions and teams. Teams covered the roof and each side of the building. Cleaver and Garfield were assigned with Raven as they proceeded towards the front of the warehouse. Raven stood in front with Cleaver behind her and Garfield closely trailing behind them. The woman held her gun parallel to the ground and positioned it in front of her. Without a noise, she motioned towards the door and the men nodded in approval.

With a burst, Raven's foot made contact with the haggard door sending it into the darkness of the warehouse. Instantly, Raven peered into the darkness holding her gun. Cleaver held his to her left and Garfield to the right. Silence.

Keeping their guard up, they continued to hold their guns into the darkness. The warehouse had an ominous silence and the darkness engulfed their vision. The moonlight from the outside was the only a source of light for the team. Raven could sense her team members waiting for her signal outside, but she felt no presence in the warehouse. The temperature was cold and Garfield could see his breath. His heart began to race from the unknown darkness. He lowered his gun and sniffed the air. This was unlike his normal behavior, but the beast seemed to have some influence on him. Suddenly, he smelt a familiar odor.

"Hey, Rae? Cleaver?" he whispered feeling his heart race.

Still holding her gun to the darkness, Raven whispered. "What is it Logan?"

"There's something in here." he replied.

Suddenly, Raven and Cleaver abruptly stopped. However, Garfield bumped into Cleaver's solid body. A distinct shot was heard from Raven's gun and Garfield nearly jumped out of his skin. A loud growl was heard from the darkness and a pair of red eyes emerged. Unknown to the men, a slight grin appeared over Raven's face.

Immediately, the lights of the decrepit warehouse lit up the building. Standing before the small team was a massive amount of demons snarling and growling. It took only moments for Garfield vision to adjust to the blinding light, but his eyesight settled. He could see a single bullet had punctured one of the walls missing a demon. Promptly, the rest of the squad entered the warehouse pointing their guns to the demons.

"Which one of you is referred to as Seth?" Raven announced her voice echoing throughout the building. The demons replied by snarling, glaring at the half-demon. They could instantly smell her scent of her kind. The scent of the female half-demon disguised many of the demons. Disregarding their intimidation techniques, Raven kept her ground and watched as a male demon stepped revealing himself. The demon had a lean body, short dark hair, little facial hair, and a menacing smirk on his face. His crimson eyes glared at the half-demon that stood before him.

"That is I." the man addressed and the demons halted their growls.

"Wonderful," she raised her gun, "I assume you already know my name and my background, but let's cut to the chase. We have come to arrest you Seth. Only you. However, if any other demon interferes with our capture, they will surely meet their demise. I've got special permission from the Messor board. So I ask, come quietly and we won't have to destroy anyone."

"Like I would take advice from a half-breed. I am insulted that you speak to me as an equal. Even your stench is repulsive" Seth spat and a roar of laughter was heard from the hoard of demons." Anyway, we have been expecting you Miss Raven. You surely know that the information given was a trap."

Still holding her gun, Raven answered. "Yes. In fact I did."

"Well then you must certainly know that I come from direct orders from the big gun upstairs, or should I rephrase down below." the demon smirked.

"So, the old man is still after me again, huh?" she scuffed, "And he sent you to retrieve me I suppose? You demons should come to realize that all of you are insignificant pawn for Trigon's gain. Nothing more. "

The demon sneered and gave her a grotesque expression. "Why don't you make this easy half-breed? You've been on the run for years and we've been trailing you. So, make this easy and come quietly?"

Raven raised her gun higher and made a clicking sound from her gun. "He just won't get the memo, won't he? Foolish old man."

"You shouldn't speak ill about the great that way, you half-breed. How dare you?"

"How dare you?" she retorted. "You gave your life for a hopeless cause. Once he's done with you, he'll throw you away as if you were a mere bag of garbage."

"Insolence! You will pay for that remark!" the demon spat raising his voice.

"Then I suppose we take action then." she mumbled and the woman shot at the demon. To her dismay, the demon dodged her fire and scurried away from her.

Instantly, the hoard of demons began their attack on the Messors. Cleaver withdrew his weapon of choice and sliced it through multiple demons. Other Messors used knives and swords in battle. Garfield, however, had his gun and began his rampage. He came close to physical contact from the demons, but a black barrier ricocheted the demons from the man. Garfield could sense Raven was near him. She continued her assault on the demons in front of her as she followed the demon known as Seth. He casually walked around the demons and the Messors. Quickly, Garfield slashed through demon after demon following after the woman. He couldn't help to feel obligated to protect the woman. The man could feel his blood begin to boil and could feel the sensation of the beast. Although he had gained control over the past few months, he could sense the beast eager to emerge.

Raven continued her assault, but she was caught off guard when a demon sprung behind her. Before the demon made its attack, Garfield shot the demon in the back of the head. Raven instantly jumped and saw how close she was to being assaulted.

"Thanks." she panted. Raven looked around the building and could see that Seth was exiting through a window. _Not this time_ she thought to herself and growled under her breath. She turned her attention to Garfield who was holding off multiple demons. Thinking instantly, she shot the demons to the ground and grabbed the man by his forearm. "Follow me, Seth is going to get away."

Garfield simply nodded and pushed his way through the demons after half-demon. Soon, they reached the window and watched as the demon fled. "Dammit," she barked and jumped from the building. The ground was a story down but she regained her stance when she landed. Without thinking, Garfield did the same. Raven ran towards the demon as he entered the door to a black truck. The trunk immediately squealed its tires and drove off. Quickly, Raven grabbed her keys and pressed a button. Simultaneously, a black Porsche Carrera instantly drove itself to her location. She rapidly entered the car and motioned for Garfield to get it. Without hesitation, the man entered the car and Raven screeched her tires. The Porsche instantly trailed behind the fleeing truck.

They continued their chase of the truck, but it appeared to be going nowhere. Deeper and deeper they entered the forest and soon they would lose their unpaved road. To Garfield's surprise, Raven's driving wasn't erotic although they were in chase. However, she had an everlasting glare of frustration. It was becoming apparent that Raven was obstructed by the chase. She rolled down the passenger window, instantly sending a chill onto Garfield.

"Shoot the truck's tires!" she yelled.

Feeling overwhelmed Garfield staggered with his gun and leaned out the window. He positioned his gun and shot several times. To his disappointment, he missed the tires.

"Hit the damn tire!" she yelled in frustration.

"Dammit! I can't hit it." He spat back.

Raven growled and opened her window. "Take the wheel!" she said and leaned out of the window. Before they collided with a near tree, Garfield grabbed the wheel and steadily kept it in control. The half-demon shot several times at the tires and successfully flattened one of the front and rear tires. A smile of satisfaction appeared on her face and the truck began to spin out of control. However, the demon abruptly threw himself out of the car and rolled onto the flat ground.

Under realization, the truck was headed towards the Porsche and Raven's smile faded. She moved her head inside the car. "Get out of the car now!" she commanded. Garfield let go of the wheel and opened the door. He did the infamous 'tuck and roll' out of the car and landed on the cold unpaved road. The woman landed a few feet away from him as she watched her car collide with the truck. The car instantly exploded from the collision. Garfield instinctively covered Raven with his body from protection.

After the sudden burst, Raven looked over to the remnants of the two cars. Staring at the flames engulf to and fro, Raven could only gawk at the disaster. Feeling they were no longer in danger, Garfield removed himself off of her. She continued to watch her car burn and Garfield watched the woman gazed at the flames. Abruptly, she jerked her vision towards where the demon fled his truck.

"Dammit, he's getting away." she growled. Precipitously, she stood up and faced the demon's direction. Garfield stood up along with her, but could feel a sharp pain in his leg. He looked down at his right leg to see that shards of glass penetrated his leg leaving it wounded and bleeding. The sudden rush of adrenaline must have heightened his pain tolerance. Stubborn and holding how much pride he had, he did not tell Raven.

She took a step, but quickly felt overcome with a rush of fatigue. Her legs gave out under her and she collapsed to the ground. "Raven!" Garfield yelled and staggered towards the woman. She turned on her back and stared at the man hovering over her.

"Shit." she cursed. "I guess I used too much of my strength tonight. Dammit." He could feel her frustration in her voice. "Go after the demon. I'll stay here and regain my strength."

"No way." he replied sternly.

"That's an order Logan!" she snapped.

"I can't leave you behind in your condition." he stated.

"I'll be fine. I just need to regain my strength. My first priority is your safety and my next is to get that demon. So go now!" she demanded.

"Sorry commander, but I can't follow your orders this time." he said with a calm voice. The woman scowled at him and glared into his eyes. Garfield sighed and pointed towards his injured leg. "Even if I were to follow your orders, I wouldn't make it far with my injured leg."

Raven looked over to his injured leg and cursed under her breath. She grabbed her communicator from her pocket and held it to her mouth. "Squad do you come in, over." Static was only heard from the device. The woman continued to talk into the radio, but soon found it futile. She reached for her cell phone, and laid her head on the ground.

"Great," she said with frustration. "No service up here, even for our communicators. Fuck my life. Both of us are injured and can't even get help."

Moments passed in silence, until Garfield slowly stood up. Raven gave him a questionable look. He leaned towards her and picked her up as if she were light as a feather. Her body lay limp in his arms from fatigue.

"Logan, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked. Garfield lifted the woman over his shoulder and positioned the woman so she was on his back. He wrapped her legs around his abdomen for support and began to walk.

"What do you think I'm doing? We need to find some shelter. Since it appears all of our sources are limited, we must make do with what we have until the morning. Maybe then you will regain some of your strength or someone can help us." he limped walking towards the forest.

"And you expect to find shelter in this forest?" she asked in his ear.

"It seems that you don't know much about me as you thought." he lightly laughed. "I was a scout when I was younger and I learned basic survival out here. When I was a teenager I would often come to the forest and hike. If I remember correctly, there should be a cave not too far from here."

"And Yogi bear lives there I suppose." she replied.

"Oh funny, funny," he replied, "but no. Most likely maybe a pack of wolves."

"Like that give me some assurance." she said sarcastically. "But if you know what you're doing I'll go along with it." Feeling she was slipping, he heaved her body up and my mistake grabbed her inner thigh and posterior.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "watch your hands Logan!"

"Yes ma'am" he reciprocated. Unknown to her, his face was completely flushed. He continued to walk where his instincts told him to go. To his comfort, Raven finally relaxed and laid her head on the back of his neck. He could feel her softly breathing on the nape of his neck as he started to become flushed even more.


	17. Close

Chapter Seventeen: _Close_

Sure enough, Garfield was able to find the cave he found as a teenager. To his surprise, he was able to drag himself and the woman draped on his back up the hill to the cave. She was still weak and Garfield was slightly limping. Once he reached the cave, he laid Raven's nearly limp body gently on the ground and found wood for a fire.

The darkness engulfed the forest as Raven sat in an area of the cave in the fetal position. Garfield was attempting to light a fire for warmth. They were near the mountains and the temperature was dropping. All they had were the clothes on their back. The forest was quiet, but the sound of their breaths echoed in the wind. Finally, Garfield lit a spark and started the fire. He shouted in pure joy and threw more firewood in the small flame. After time, the fire grew. Garfield was clearly satisfied and he looked over to Raven. It was clear that she was still cold. He could see her faint shivers and saw her hand twitch.

"Hey Rae, I got the fire going. Why don't you sit by it to keep warm?" he asked.

"I'll be fine." she shivered and glared at the man. "and don't call me Rae."

"I know you're cold over there. I can see you shiver. Come sit next me. Although I have the beast entity in me, I don't bite." he patted the spot next to him.

Reluctantly, she sat next to him by the fire. She slowly opened her hands and faced it near the fire. She continued shaking from the cold.

Surprisingly, he was not cold at all. The temperature was dropping, but he didn't feel cold. Maybe it was due to the beast. As Raven sat near the fire, he stripped his ebony trench coat and draped it over the woman. She turned her attention to him.

"I'm fine. You will need this more than me." she said holding the coat.

"No, I'm fine. You're the one I'm worrying about. I insist. Now take it." he demanded.

Raven gave him a soft smiled and returned her attention to the fire. Now, things seemed to settle down. However, they would have to wait until the morning for someone to get them. Moments passed in silence as they continued to gaze at the fire

"I can't believe Trigon would send demons after me. Usually, I have to be the one doing the perusing. I guess he wants me that badly." she mumbled to herself, but Garfield could hear what she said.

"Why is Trigon after you anyway?" but fearing her anger, he tried to withdraw what he said. "Wait, you don't need to answer that."

"I'm his only daughter. His only offspring." she said.

"No offense, but you're a half-demon. What does he want with you?"

"Trigon is so high and mighty in the demon world and his pride and reputation keep him alive. He is known throughout many dimensions the incarnation of evil, the source of all darkness. However, as he ages more and more, he realized one day that he needed a way to keep his legacy behind. He did have children. Many, full-blooded offspring. Out of his own entertainment, he raped a woman nearly twenty-four ago. He never thought he would be disgraced with a half-demon child. As time passed, all of his full-blooded demon offspring all died. Only one offspring remains."

"So, you're the last of his children and I guess he can't have anymore?" Garfield asked.

"Yes, and he cannot." she spoke softly "So there is only one way he can carry on his legacy."

"Through you?" he asked.

"Yes, but he does not want to be known as the father of a half-demon."

"So how does that work?"

She was silent for moments. "A demon grandchild." Garfield looked at her with disbelief. "A week before my mother's death, he found me in Azarath and brought me to the demon world. He gave me a choice, either follow his orders, or be imprisoned. Choice one would involve me being forced into a marriage with a demon male. His plan was thought out nine months later where I gave him a demon grandchild. So I decided choice two. He held me captive and locked me in a prison for days on end."

"That bastard." Garfield swore.

"That's an understatement." she said softly, "A week later, he took me out of my imprisonment and stuck me in a large arena. It looked like a coliseum. Trigon sat in a chair and the guards forced me down to sit next to him. He wore a menacing smile and I can still remember to this day. The silence was broken by a scream. I looked to find to find the scream, and my mother collapsed down several yards away from me. She looked terrible; like she had been tortured for days. She was pale, malnourished, and her hair was a mess. I called out for her name, but Trigon silenced me." Raven began to shiver and Garfield sat closer to her. "He walked closer to her and her screams faded and she looked into his crimson eyes. He picked her up by her throat and she screamed for my name. I could do nothing, as my pleads echoed throughout the walls. Trigon only smiled demonically and . . ." Raven began to shake and tears began to appear in her eyes.

Garfield only did what his instincts told him to do and he wrapped his arms around her. She flinched, but sunk in his arms. She laid her head on his chest and sobbed. Raven's tears fell down onto his shirt. She mumbled few words, but her words were muffled in his chest. Garfield continued to rub her back in comfort and cradled her in his arms. She clung to his shirt and continued to cry. Moments passed and her tears stopped. Garfield continued to hold her, until she adjusted herself around. She laid her back against his chest and clung to his arms.

"I'm sorry about that. That's why it's so hard to share that with anyone. That is why I did not share that months ago." she said softly.

"You don't need to be sorry." he reassured her. "you needed to cry it all out."

"I guess." she said with no emotion. "I know this may seem awkward, but you are quite warm. Can we stay like this for a while please? I'm still slightly cold."

Garfield's face lit up. "Sure." Without his knowledge, Raven smiled and closed her eyes. They laid there for some time and Garfield began to process what she had said. _Man, I can't believe she went through that. No wonder she is the way she is. Her mother was murdered right in front of her. Damn. _Lost in his thoughts, he was brought back to the sound of light breathing. He adjusted himself to view her face. She had fallen asleep. There was a calm expression on her face. Even peaceful. He smiled to himself and kept her in his arms. Soon, he drifted into sleep.

The following morning, the sun was shining waking up Garfield. He looked around to the cave, trees and foliage around the forest. He realized that he was alone. Garfield frantically looked around for Raven, but she was nowhere.

"That damn woman." he mumbled.

"You called?" a feminine voice emerged. Garfield found the source and Raven appeared.

"Rae!" he said in relief with a smile on his face.

"Dammit. I told you to never call me that!." she said walking into the cave with her cell phone in her right hand. "Still no service."

Garfield stood up. "That sucks. What do you want to do now?"

"Well first off, I need to heal you." she proceeded closer to him. She knelled down and examined his leg that was injured. To her surprise, it appeared that it was fully healed. The wound was no longer bloody and was completely recovered.

"Is there a problem?" he asked seeing confusion written on her face.

"No, and that's the problem." she got up on her feet. "You're completely healed and I have not done anything to it."

"Strange." Garfield examined the supposing injured leg. He confirmed that his leg was completely healed.

"However, it's not strange due to your abilities." she stated and turned her back. "Now, since your healed, I guess we should go back into town or at least until I find signal."

"Okay, are you sure that you will be fine walking?" he asked.

"Yes after a good nights rest, I've regained my strength. Guess we have that in common." she walked away from him.

"Wait after me!" he yelled and quickly followed behind her.

Once they embarked, Garfield and Raven were able to find the road to the city. They walked in silence as they continued down the road. The man couldn't help but steal several glances at the woman.

"I'm sorry about last night." she apologized.

"I told you already. You don't need to apologize." he replied.

"Yeah, but I am your commander and there I was crying my eyes out over something small as that. Way to reduce my authority."

"Nah, I still think of you as my bad ass commander."

"Glad we can keep it that way."

"Everyone needs to cry after losing a loved one. I still cry after my parents died when I was young."

"Since I spilled the beans about my mother and you talk about your parents, what happen to them?"

Garfield hadn't spoken in years about his parent's death. He never even told Victor or Marshall. It always brought up unpleasant memories, but he felt comfortable confiding with the woman.

"Most of my childhood with my parents was spent in Africa since they were biologists." he started to explain. "When I was a child, we ventured off in the boating trip. However, there was an accident and they tragically drown. Only I was left alive."

"I'm sorry to hear about that." she felt a knot in her stomach.

"It's fine. I was adopted earlier that year by my parents Rita and Steve. Steve's a hard-ass, much like you, but Rita was the sweetest woman I ever met; again much like you." His eyes widened after the last statement. Garfield did not attempt to make eye contact with the woman.

"Oh hahaha. Very funny Logan." she said sarcastically. "Never had I thought I would hear the word 'sweet' in a sentence with my name in it. You sure know how to kiss ass Logan."

Before he could reply, a faint sound was heard from Raven's phone. She stopped walking and held up her cellular device. They were in service area, and they were getting a phone call from Cleaver.

"Hello?" she answered the phone.

"_Hello Miss Raven. Are you and Logan okay?" Cleaver asked._

"Yeah, we are fine." she replied. "We just got stranded near the forest. The demon hit my car and fled."

"_Well, we have the demon captive and we have your location. I will be at your location momentarily." _

"Good, but before you hang up, how is everyone?"

"_A few scraps, bruises, minor injuries, but everyone is fine. They are at headquarters questioning the demons that were left alive."_

"Wonderful, I'll heal them once we get back to headquarters."

"_Oh no you're not!" _Cleaver demanded_. "You used up a lot of your strength yesterday which I suppose you were left with little last night. Once we get back to H.Q., you will get your rest and then question the demon."_

"Okay." she said and hung up the phone. She peered around the road and saw an approaching SUV. "Cleaver will be here momentarily. We will go back to H.Q. and you can get your rest."

"Sounds good to me. My feet hurt." he said.

The Hummer parked next to Raven and looked to see cleaver in the driver's seat. She opened the passenger door and Garfield went to the same side. Before she entered the car, Raven turned towards Garfield.

"Thank you for last night." she whispered and entered the car. He couldn't help but cast a sheepish smile.


	18. Withdrawal

Chapter Eighteen: _Withdrawal _

Soft snores swept throughout the small bedroom. The man lay on his stomach with his mouth wide open. Every once in a while drops of drool escaped his mouth and soaked the pillow case. The curtains were close shut leaving the room in darkness for the man to slumber. The room was nearly silent until the sound of his cell phone rang loudly. He groaned saddened that he was awoken from his sleep. He turned his head towards the nightstand and reached out for the cellular device. Without glancing at the caller identification, he picked up the device and answered.

"Hello?" he answered the phone still groggy.

"_Good morning sleeping beauty." _greeted the caller. _"Did I wake you up?"_

Without a moments hesitation he replied groggily, "Yeah."

"_My apologies,"_ the caller atoned but quickly ignored the apology. _"Listen. I need you at the headquarters immediately Garfield."_

His eyes widened and looked over to the alarm clock. It was only nine at night and he had no prior obligations. "I thought you said yesterday that there would be no assignments tonight."

"_I did, but things change."_

Garfield rolled onto his back and sighed in exasperation. "Dude, Rae. You promised, and I was kinda looking forward to taking a nap."

"_Well I'm sorry this had to happen, but we need you here. The others are starting to complain about your absence."_

He dug his hands in his sandy blonde hair and stared at the dark ceiling for moments. "Okay, let me get dressed and I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"_Thank you Garfield, and don't call me Rae." _the woman said with her infamous monotonous voice. Still groggy, Garfield did not object and was going to hang up before Raven had one more thing to say. _"By the way, don't even bother wearing your uniform, it will be unnecessary for tonight."_

Raising his eyebrow he asked, "And why is that?"

"_Just get your ass over here." _she demanded and the phone went silent.

_Guess I better get ready then _he thought as he got up from his peaceful slumber.

As he parked in the parking ramp, Garfield noticed a dark silhouette by the elevator door. The figure lurked there for moments and Garfield began to have an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. When he exited his car, he looped the keys around his fingers keeping the key out for protection. He thought it was foolish of him to leave his trench coat at home due to the fact that his gun was in it, but his only means for defense at the moment was the sharp edge of the key. As the man approached the elevator door, the dark figure continued to keep its ground. Garfield cautiously advanced near the figure until a familiar scent infiltrated his nose. For what he could smell, it was a mix of jasmine and lavender that brought his body at ease. He retracted his keys from his hands and casually walked towards the figure.

His hypothesis was validated when he saw Raven standing near the elevator door with her arms folded. She wore a calm expression on her face and to his surprise, he swore she was smiling at him.

"Glad you came in a timely fashion." she greeted. The woman unfolded her arms and proceeded towards the elevator. He noticed that she was not in her uniform as well, which was unusual by this point. She wore black jeans, gray heels, a gray army style cardigan, and a purple blouse underneath. The woman even had her hair down at this point as well. It was strange, since she usually pulled her hair in a pony-tail or half-back. After further observation, he noticed that she no longer had jet black streaks in her hair. In fact, her hair was completely and naturally violet.

The elevator ride was silent as they proceed up to the ops room. Once they reached the floor, Garfield gestured her to go first and she responded with a small smile. He followed behind her a few paces afterward.

"So what is this all about anyway?" he asked breaking the silence.

They stopped in front of the ops door and Raven faced him. "You'll just have to find out." she said with a smirk and placed her hand on the door. To his surprise the room was dark and it appeared untouched. However, he could sense people in the room. Suddenly, the lights turned on. A loud burst arose and the seeming empty room was immediately filled with the Messors with smiles beaming on their faces.

"Surprise!" they shouted in unison. "Congratulations!" They cheered and Garfield nearly jumped out of his pants.

Once he gained his composure, a grin quickly filled his face. There were balloons all over the room, streamers were hung from wall to wall, and a large banner that read "Congratz! One year!" It wasn't his birthday, and he wondered what the celebration was for.

"Dudes, this is all wonderful and all, but what's the party for?" he asked. The smiles on everyone's faces widened even more.

"It's your one year anniversary as a Messor. That's celebration enough." Raven said behind him and nudged his elbow. "and Cleaver wanted an excuse to eat cake."

"Thank you guys!" Garfield smiled and walked into the ops room.

To his surprise, Garfield enjoyed the party. He never had a celebration this big and he felt that he had made friends with all the Messors. They didn't think of him as inferior to them and did not fear him due to the creature lurking inside him. He was glad that they actually cared for him. Everyone was enjoying each other's company and conversing over topics that did not involve demon hunting. Cleaver provided a cake he baked and supplied expensive wine for everyone to partake. Garfield wasn't a drinker recently, but he did enjoy a glass of wine every now and then. Although he was enjoying himself, the man noticed that there was something missing from the party. Particularity, a certain person. He glanced around the room searched for the person but found no sign of her. He walked over to Cleaver who was sitting on the couch laughing jokes he was sharing.

"Hey Cleaver" Garfield greeted "Have you seen Raven? In fact, I haven't seen her since the party started."

"Well that's Miss Raven for you." he chuckled. "She's not the one for parties and doesn't really care much for them but I persuaded her enough to throw this celebration for you. Dante and I made a bet that you wouldn't last a year and I won. By the way. . ." the man trailed off. "Dante! You owe me twenty bucks!"

"Thanks for you reassurance." Garfield said blankly and walked away from Cleaver. He continued to watch as the Messors conversed with each other. Somehow, he felt that he should go find Raven to see if she is alright. He never saw her slip away from the party. Unnoticed by anyone else, he drank the rest of his wine and exited the ops room. Garfield could smell her scent from across the hallway to the elevator. He looked at his watch and it was nearly midnight. On a Saturday night around this time, there was only one place he knew where the woman would be. He proceeded towards the end of the hallway to the elevator. Once, he entered the elevator, he pressed the button to the roof.

Once he reached the elevator door, Garfield's nose was immediately filled with the woman's scent. As he opened the door, the man peered around the large rooftop looking for the woman. Her back was facing towards him as she stared over the clear night sky.

As he approached closer to her, she glanced over her shoulder to see Garfield on the roof as well. A soft smile appeared on her face, but returned her gaze to the tranquil scenery.

"Thought I'd see you up here with a cigarette in your mouth." he greeted and stood next to her.

"You know, you need to come up with better jokes." she replied, "Especially if you said it months ago. It wasn't funny then, and it certainly isn't funny now. Additionally, I quit that habit months ago."

"Really?" he asked, "why'd you quit?"

She simply shrugged. "Wasn't really my style."

Moments passed as they stood in silence looking over the lighted city. Months ago, they shared the same moment staring at the city lights. Although this time there was no tension between the two. It was peaceful this time and the calm atmosphere complemented the mood.

He couldn't help but glance over at the woman next to him. Even though the lighted scenery was beautiful, it was nothing compared to the woman standing next to him. Over the past year, he became more close to her. When they first met, it was under unusual circumstances. It was awkward at first, but now, as they stood together side-by-side it seemed normal to him. She was there for him when he began as a Messor. Although they had their few altercations, they would overcome it. He had this fluttering sensation in the bottom his stomach every time he was around her. Garfield thought about her when he woke up, and wondered about her when he fell asleep.

There was a light breeze and Raven's hair blew with the wind. Her scent infiltrated his nose giving him a feeling of awe. Sensing him looking at her, she turned her attention to him.

Crossing her arms she asked, "Was there something you wanted?"

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Um, I was wonderin' if you wanted to join the party. It's a lot of fun down there."

"No thanks." she shook her head. "I'm not the one for parties."

"Then why did you throw one for me?" Garfield asked.

"Wasn't my idea. Cleaver's the one who set it up. I just played along with it."

"Really?" he raised his eyebrow. "you had nothing to do with the party?"

"I am certain." Raven replied. "And before I forget, congratulations."

"Thanks, but if you don't mind me asking how long been doin' this?" he asked.

She raised her head to the sky and placed her left index finger on her bottom lip. She was mouthing numbers silently to herself and then returned to answer his inquiry. "Almost eight years."

"And you never had a celebration for your hard work?"

"I don't really need one. There's nothing worth celebrating in my life."

"Well, I think you deserve it. Even if there's nothing to celebrate. Might as well enjoy what you have."

She was baffled by his words. He had surely matured since he started as a Messor. It seemed as if the tables had turned around. Instead of her giving him helpful advice, he was giving her support. To her surprise, his advice was helpful.

"Thanks Garfield, but I don't want a party." she gave him a soft smile.

"You know, you are a wonderful person." he said blankly and stared into the city.

"Oh?" she asked blankly hoping that he would explain.

"I've never seen a stronger person than you. After all that you have gone through being the daughter of a demon and human, your mother being killed, and the social difficulties of being a half-demon. Yet, you don't care what anyone else thinks. You keep your head held high and know when to take the position of a leader. You truly care for everyone in the squad and would sacrifice yourself for their safety. Especially mine, even though you have known me for only a year."

She was nearly speechless after his explanation. "Well it's my job as a leader to help my fellow Messors. If one of you dies, I don't know what I would do with myself. But you. You are always optimistic, vibrant, and fun when it comes to everything you do. You succeed without a moment's hesitation. I truly envy you Garfield." Her hair fell in her face blocking her view of him shamefully.

Slowly her reached out for her face and tucked her violet locks of hair behind her ear revealing her delicate features. Garfield could see a blush creep on her cheeks. She continued to look away from him. He softly seized her chin and turning her face back to him. Raven was looking directly into his eyes.

"Why would you envy me? I don't have the face of an angel." Garfield whispered.

"What?" she replied confused.

"I've only known you for only a year, but I feel as if I've known you longer than that. In that period of time, I've got to know you. You are a strong beautiful woman and you take yourself for granted. Your eyes are the most gorgeous things I've ever seen in my life. I can't help but want to touch your soft skin against my hand. Although you call yourself a half-demon, I see you as an angel. Just a dark angel. The perfect balance between the darkness and light."

She continued to become lost in his emerald eyes as he spoke. Raven thought he was lying, but his eyes her telling the truth. He truly meant what he was saying. Garfield was the only person that could ever feel the way she was now. She felt like she was walking on clouds and he was there to support her.

He couldn't help but notice her silence and gaze into her amethyst eyes. They made direct eye contact for what seemed like forever. Unknown to them, their faces slowly began to inch closer and closer to each other. The space between them began to close and Garfield could feel his eyelids become heavy. Raven's eyes slowly shut and lightly breathed on in face which was only inches away.

Garfield could feel this sensation within him, but he felt something odd as well. A voice inside his head kept repeating that he was taking this too far and he should halt. He fought between himself and his mind for moments debating whether or not her should follow through with it. He wondering if she would be mad or even regret if he even kissed her. Fear began to overwhelm his body and he recoiled from Raven.

The man stepped backwards and stared at the woman in front of him She was clearly confused and disoriented by the withdraw. Her mouth opened to speak, but no words came out. Garfield took another step towards the elevator and softly said, "I'm sorry." Then, he quickly exited the roof. Before he shut the door, he thought her heard the sound of Raven's voice calling his name. Shamefully, he ran down the stairs of the building.

On the rooftop, Raven stood disoriented as ever. She crossed her arms to keep herself warm from the chill she felt throughout her well-being. The woman returned her gaze to the city across from her as a crisp tear slowly traveled down her cheek.


	19. Touch

Chapter Nineteen: _Touch_

Then he ran. With great speed, he sprinted to the nearest elevator and descended downward. Garfield panted and gasped for air while the elevator went down. His thoughts were consumed by the woman that stood moments before him. Unknowingly, the man began to hyperventilate. He couldn't believe he was inches away from her face. Inches away from her lips. The image of disappointment on her face haunted his thoughts. He deeply cared for this woman, but he couldn't even get close to her out of his own fear.

Garfield turned to one of the walls of the elevator and punched the wall in fiery. With his strength, he created dents in the wall and slowly stopped. His fists ached from the force and he abruptly hit is head on the wall. Grinding his teeth, Garfield cursed in his mind.

_How could I be so close, and mess up like that? Now she obviously knows I have feelings for her. How can I be so lame? Now what am I going to do? _he thought. His thoughts were soon interrupted by the elevator opening to the garage. Garfield drug his feet along the garage floor with his head hung low.

However, a deep voice in his head silenced his racing thoughts. _What the hell do you think you're doing? You left that gorgeous woman on that roof with no clue what happened. She clearly has feelings for you, but you are too scared to go after her. You are a coward._

Garfield stopped walking and shook his head roughly. "I am not a coward" he spoke to himself grinding his teeth out of frustration.

"_Yes you are."_ The voice bellowed, _"You are a coward and you cannot deny it. If say you are not a coward, prove me wrong."_

Garfield fell to the ground on his knees in frustration. His eyes were closed, teeth grinding, and head aching out of confusion, stress, and frustration. "I don't know what to do." He whispered to himself.

"_You know what to do host." _The voice echoed in his mind.

Suddenly his aches and frustrations disappeared. However, his anxiety remained. The man quickly stood up and ran towards the elevator. He pressed the button to the roof and headed towards his destination. Once the man opened the door to the roof, he searched for the woman he saw only moments ago. Yet, the woman he was looking for was nowhere to be found. The only remnants of her that remained in the atmosphere where a mix of jasmine, lavender, and the feeling of disappointment.

The man cursed to himself and ran towards the stairs of the building. He didn't even bother to consider taking the elevator but his only objective was to get to the thirteenth floor. After several flights of stairs, he finally reached his destination. With his heart pounding and heavy panting he stood in front of a door and knocked franticly on it. Within moments the door opened revealing a certain half-demon. She stared for seconds in confusion as the man panted for air in near the threshold.

"Garfield? What the hell are yo-" but the woman was cut off completing her sentence when the man in front of her crushed his lips on hers. He hastily cupped her cheeks and gently pulled her closer to him. Her eyes widened out of surprise and her heart began to race. She did not know what was happening and how it happened so fast. Rationally was racing through her mind, but the feeling of bliss, happiness, and passion overwhelmed her body. Overthrowing her rationally, her body gave in to the pleasure and wonderful sensations she was feeling. Her body no longer was tense and she closed her eyes in complete pleasure. She gave in to his spell and passionately returned the kiss. The woman wrapped her arms around the man's next and he took the initiative to snake his hands around her waist.

For moments they stood passionately kissing one another until Raven gently stepped towards the inside of her apartment suite and in the same motion moved the man she was kissing inside. The door closed automatically leaving the couple alone together in the quiet apartment. While kissing the woman in front of him, Garfield opened his eyes to look around the apartment suite. He noticed that it had not changed since his last encounter in the apartment. Quickly the woman touched his chin to direct his attention towards her. She released her lips from his and gave him a soft smile.

"Don't act as if you haven't been in my apartment before." She smirked.

Garfield's eyes widened. He wanted to deny her accusations although they were true. The look she gave him, he knew that whatever he said would have to pass her judgment since she was the one who could easily detect a lie. "I'm not gonna deny that, but how did you know?"

"Please Garfield; your smell was all over my apartment" she replied to his inquiry and inched towards his ear "I guess then I don't have to give you a tour of my living quarters since you already know where everything is. _Including the bedroom." _Raven said in a soft seductive voice.

With her last sentence echoing in his mind, it set him off. Garfield took the woman's lips with his and pressed himself closer to her. He could feel his pants becoming tighter and she could feel him become harder. In this passionate and heated kiss they began to head towards her bedroom. The couple stumbled through the living room nearly falling on the couch and knocking over a lamp. They wallowed throughout the hallway where Raven eagerly began to take the man's shirt off. Once she successfully got his shirt off, Raven began to rub her hands up and down his bare chest. Garfield, on the other hand, was enjoying the feeling of her soft cold hands on his chest. He soon began to rub and massage her right breast with her clothes still intact.

They continued stumbling throughout the apartment until they reached the woman's bedroom door. Before they were able to open the door, Raven pressed against it while he continued his assault on her breast. He began to slip his hand underneath her shirt and gently massage her breast within the confinement of her bra. The aroused woman raised her leg to rest on his waist, curling it around the man. His hand found her leg and fondled her inner thigh. Raven fingers traced from around his neck, moving around his hair gripping it.

Garfield picked up the woman while she wrapped her legs for support around his waist. She began to kiss and bite at his neck while he fumbled with the door handle. When he finally opened the door, he nearly fell with the woman straddling herself on his waist. Her room was filled with the scent of lavender and jasmine. Gently, he laid the aroused woman on her bed and hovered over her body giving her sweet tender kisses. Slowly he withdrew from the kiss and stared into the eyes of the woman that lay beneath him. Her hair was sprawled in the bed in an angelic manner and her eyes her half-lidded as she stared at the man above her. Garfield gave the woman a loving smile.

"I love you" he whispered to the woman he loved so dearly. Garfield could see a twinkle in her eyes and see how much joy and happiness through them. She smiled revealing her snow white canines.

"I love you too." She replied and captured his lips once again.

They continued their assault on each other's mouth for minutes as Garfield began to touch and feel throughout the woman's physique body. Slowly, yet swiftly, Raven rolled herself from the bottom, and now lay on top of the man. He began to slowly take her shirt off and she helped him since it took him moments to strip her shirt off. The man began to rub and feel her cold soft skin that once lay trapped beneath her shirt. She began to kiss, lick, and bite on his neck while he began to unhook her black laced bra. Unlike her shirt, he was able to strip it off without her assistance. He was amazed at how beautiful her supple breasts were and started to suck on her hardened nipples. She slightly moaned in pleasure lightly scratched her silk sheets. He alternated between the two plump breasts as the woman began to moan louder and louder.

Meanwhile he continued his assault on her breasts; she could feel the now growing hardened member of the man pressing against her inner thigh. Raven took her left hand and began to massage the outside of his jeans where she found his hardened member. Garfield moaned softly while sucking on her right breast. Soon, she unhooked his belt and placed her hand in the front on his jeans. He gasped after realization that her hand was rubbing up and down his member. He halted his assault on her breast and lay back on the bed with hands clasping the silk sheets. She merely smiled and began to take off his jeans to release the hardened member out of its confinement. Raven discarded his jeans only to find out he was going commando on this particular day. To her surprise, she found a large hardened member standing almost straight.

She began to rub her hand up and down his shaft and he moaned out of complete pleasure. She was driving him crazy and he wanted and needed her so bad. Garfield began to take off her jeans since that was the only article of clothing that remained on her body. Slowly but surely he was able to strip her of her jeans and throw them across the room. The only problem he had was the black lacy thong she wore, but that could easily be discarded. Her body was exceptionally sexier than he pictured it since the closest interaction he had was months ago when he accidently stumbled in her office while she was changing. Beside the point, he loved her and her model-sculpted body. Soon, he lifted his fingers to toss away the last article of clothing she wore. Now, they were both completely naked with the woman on top of the man looking at each other's nude forms.

Without a moments noticed, Garfield began to rub the woman's breast and descended down to her lower vaginal lips. He began to rub and massage the inner flaps of her lower lips. Raven responded by moaning slightly louder than earlier. Feeling more aroused, Garfield slipped one of his fingers inside of her and she widened her eyes while gasping. He then thrust his finger in and out of her. Garfield even had the boldness to add two fingers to thrust in and out of her. She moaned and called his name in desperation. He quickly removed his fingers from her and positioned his hardened member to go inside.

Slowly, he adjusted himself to insert himself in her and she slowly positioned her body to go down on him. Quickly, he inserted himself inside her and a shriek of pain was heard from the woman. Raven winced and bit her lower lip to relieve the pain. Garfield sat up to comfort the woman during his penetration. One tear drop ran from her eye and down her cheek. Garfield gave her a reassuring kiss on the cheek and on the lips to help ease the pain. Soon he began to thrust himself slowly in and out of the woman. With each thrust, her pain seemed to disappear with it and soon she no longer felt the pain.

Raven then began to move herself so that she was riding him slowly. Garfield moaned in pleasure and urged the woman to go faster and deeper. She complied with his request and soon began to ram herself in and out of his membrane. Her breasts were bobbing up and down with every motion and louder moans escaped her lips. Soon those moans turned into cries of pleasure and passion. She continued to ride him for some time but Garfield quickly turned her over so that she was on bottom. She was covered in sweat and became wetter each time she took a breath.

He lowered his head down and kissed her passionately. He continued to kiss the woman and traced his lips from her cheek, to her jaw, down her neck, ending to her breasts. Again, he inserted himself in Raven and she squealed out of pure delight. He continued to thrust deep and hard inside of her. They continued to look into each other's eyes while sharing this moment together. Raven's right leg began to shake furiously and soon she curled her leg so that it was easier for him to penetrate. Garfield began to move faster and faster as Raven began to moan louder and call out his name. Raven felt like her climax was about to come and Garfield was feeling the same way. He continued to thrust himself in and out of her, when soon he pulled out and covered the woman's stomach in his own reproductive liquids. To Raven's surprise she came at the same time he pulled out feeling her own fluids dripping from her womanhood.

They continued to catch their breath after their sexual ordeal. This was a memorable experience for the two of them that the shared together on this starry night. Garfield rolled over and grabbed his shirt and wiped his fluids off of the woman's stomach. He tossed the shirt aside and grabbed the dark purple silk blanket and draped it over the two. He lay on his back while Raven lay on her side with her head lying on his chest. She was at ease listening to his heartbeat as he wrapped his arms around her for comfort. Somehow, she felt secure and that the world had stopped. There was nothing that could harm them as long as they were together. She felt safe in his arms. He softly kissed her forehead and held her closer to his naked body.

"I love you." He whispered.

She replied, "I love you too." Soon they drifted together into a peaceful slumber.


	20. Detain

Chapter Twenty: _Detain_

Night turned to day creating a warm colored sky with the sun rising above the city. Unbeknownst to the population, there was a warmer and more pleasant atmosphere within a single room. In this single room a woman and a man lay together in each other's embrace after a productive evening. The man's mouth was agape and drops of droll escaped. On the other hand, the woman cradled next to him wore a soft smile on her lips. The sun's rays escaped the mahogany curtains and softly touched the man's eyelids. Soon his eyes fluttered greeting the incoming light and scanned around the room in confusion. Seconds passed in confusion, until flashes of the last night's activities revealed in his mind. In order to confirm his suspicions, he looked to the unknown pressure wrapped around his waist and chest. Garfield smiled to himself when he found a sleeping half-demon named Raven cuddled in his arms.

Garfield sighed in pure bliss. To his surprise, after his soft sigh the woman tightened her arms around him. Her eyes slowly opened welcoming her to a new morning. Sensing that she was awake, Garfield smiled and turned his head down.

"Good morning beautiful." He greeted to her in a soft whisper. She merely closed her eyes and held him closer.

"Morning." She replied nudging her head on his bare chest. For moments, they lay in silence taking in the pleasure of their warm embrace. Raven followed the melody of his heartbeat and rising of his chest every time he took a breath. Garfield could feel her soft cold body wrapped up against him. He could feel her breast rise every time she inhaled and exhaled. In this blissful state, he never wanted to let go from this tender embrace. However, his bladder would have to disagree. He slightly shifted his body, but the woman tightened her embrace and nuzzled her head even further in his chest.

"Stop moving." She mumbled in his chest.

He responded by holding her close and released his grasp. "I don't want to let you go either, but right now I really need to use your bathroom." He spoke.

She sighed heavily and rolled off of the man. Raven lay on her stomach supporting herself with her elbows. The woman looked at him and gave the man a signature 'pout' face. Garfield smiled at the pouting woman and softly kissed her on the lips. He stared in her amethyst eyes and pecked a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back in one minute beautiful." He responded to her facial expression. Grabbing his pants, Garfield quickly ran the private bathroom to relieve himself.

Once he returned to relieve himself, the man found his lover standing in front of the mirror brushing her violet hair. She wore her black laced bra and thong staring in the mirror above her bureau. With the sunlight beaming on her, Garfield saw a radiant angel in front of his eyes. Her curves were accented in the light and her pale skin was luminous. With the soft sun kissing her features, it made her skin glisten in the room. The man silently confessed to himself that he was completely, utterly in love and enamored with this woman. Raven gave the impression that beckoned for him to come closer without motion or words. Silently, he walked over the beautiful woman.

When he reached the woman, he pressed against her backside and wrapped his arms around her upper stomach sending shivers up her spine. Raven stopped brushing her hair and set the utensil down. In response to him, she laid her left hand on his hands and extended her right hand to the back of his head. Garfield could smell her signature scent of lavender and jasmine in the crook of her neck. For minutes they stood there together in the warmth of the sun escaping the window. The woman was faintly blushing and she smiled bearing her white teeth. Raven turned around to face the man behind and wrapped her pale arms around his neck. Garfield responded by snaking his arms around her lower back. She gazed in his hazel eyes and he peered into her amethyst.

"I love you Raven." Garfield said with love in his voice. She smiled in response and a soft blush filled her cheeks.

"I love you too." She replied, "And there's something I need to ask of you."

"Sure. What is it?" he asked.

"I was wondering if we could keep this a secret from the team. I love you with all my heart, it's just I am not ready to share with the team that I am in a relationship with one of collogues just yet. I am not certain if they will approve of me mixing business with pleasure. But Garfield, I want you to know that when I am ready, I will share it to them. I do not want to keep this from them for long" Raven requested.

Garfield nodded and held her chin gently. "Anything for you. Only if you are ready. Does that mean I we can't go out though?"

"I would love to go out with you and I will. We just need to be discrete about things. Okay?"

"Yes beautiful." He gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Also, I want to ask another thing too." Raven said looking into his eyes. He nodded and gave her a questionable expression. "There's an empty suite a floor below me and I know you only have one semester left in college and you are doing and internship at the zoo. I figured since it was closer to the zoo, would you like to move into that room. I want you to be close to me." She looked down at her bare feet.

Again, he gently cupped her chin and lifted her head. "Yes of course. Anything for you." Garfield ensnared the woman in a deep embrace not wanting this moment to cease.

Less than a week later, Garfield moved in the level below into the vacant apartment suite. Since most of them lived in the headquarters, it appeared it was inevitable he would move in. However, one of the main reasons he moved in was to be closer to his significant other. Raven and Garfield were skillful enough to keep their relationship a secret from the other Messors. The couple went on a few dinner dates when the team didn't have a mission. Not to mention occasional 'sleep-overs' in Raven's apartment. Everything with the team appeared normal and performed the same without Raven and Garfield revealing feelings for each other to the team.

After an afternoon of exercising in the gym, Garfield lay on the couch relaxing. Several members of the team were watching television and eating in the same room. The team had no assignments on this particular night so they could do recreational activities. One reason they had no assignments this day was that their infamous leader was out of town for a Messor board meeting. She had been gone for several days, but was scheduled to return that night. Garfield was joyful that she was returning tonight. They had not been in a relationship for long, but he felt a part missing from him when she left for her meeting. He missed her kiss, touch, and the way she used to laugh at his quirkiness. Another reason he was excited to have her return was he was eagerly tapping on a necklace box stuffed in his jacket. Garfield bought it earlier this afternoon celebrating her return from her meeting and to give her something she would enjoy. It was a silver necklace embedded with small cubic zirconium diamonds and several pieces of amethyst jewels embedded. When he first laid eyes on it, he knew had to give that to her.

Everyone was relaxing and leisurely doing their own thing when suddenly the power went off. Garfield sat up immediately and everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Dammit you guys! We blew a fuse." Cleaver announced. "I'll go downstairs to fix it. Anyone got a flashlight?"

"Here you go Cleaver." Dante replied throwing a small flashlight attached to his keys.

Quickly, Cleaver left the room to head down to the floor below. Everyone in the room was complaining about the power being out, but Garfield had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't explain the feeling but brushed it off thinking rationally about the situation. Several minutes passed in complete darkness without any word from Cleaver. By this time, everyone would have assumed that the man would return or at the least that the power would return. At this point, Garfield's feeling in the pit of his stomach returned and everyone was becoming uneasy.

Without notice, a low, rumbling growl echoed across the room making Garfield freeze. Suddenly, a loud shriek rebounded throughout the room. Garfield jumped to take action and the other Messors did the same. Suddenly the electricity returned oddly sending fear in the Messors. Surrounding the team were a number of demons standing in the room. One demon in particular was hovering over one of the team members who was unconscious. All of the demons had glowing red eyes, sharp canines and every physical feature identifying them as a demon. Not to mention, Garfield could smell their horrendous scent. Many of them wore devilish grins on their faces following low growls that escaped their throats.

In a moment's notice, the demons attacked. Following their attack the team turned to defense since their fighting materials were misplaced somewhere else. All they had to depend on was their physical strength. Garfield swerved through some of the demons assaults, but was punched and bitten by one some of the demons. With his martial arts skills, he was able to knock some of the demons unconscious. The other team members were trying their hardest to defend themselves against the other demons, but there were too many. Some of the members were knocked unconscious or held captive by the demons.

Trying to help save his team, Garfield hinged on the dexterities of the beast within him. Honing his skills, he attempted to withdraw the beast within him. Time after time, he tried but the beast within failed to appear. Garfield was confused why the beast wouldn't resurrect, and consumed in his thoughts did not see the demon behind him. Before he could turn his head, the demon struck him behind knocking him to the ground.

Feeling weak, the demon sat on the man while another wrapped the man's hands together. With the effort of several demons, they lifted the man who struggled against him. His struggle was futile since there were so many demons holding him hostage. They escorted him to the direction of arena. There was in thought in his mind the raced back in forth.

_Why haven't they killed me yet?_ He repeated in his mind.

Once they entered the arena, Garfield saw a sight he had never seen before. Demons filled the entire room and his whole group was held by other demons struggling to break free. Walking towards his cohorts, demons taunted, growled, screeched and hissed at the man. Garfield glared at the monsters until he reached the rest of his team. They looked in poor condition with scratches, cuts, broken bones, and bruises all over their bodies. Several members were still unconscious lying carelessly on the concrete floor. Garfield was thrown on the floor with the rest of the team members. Demons surrounded the entire group, but two particular demons stood before them.

Both demons before them appeared to be the frontrunners of the demon swarm. One demon threw his hands above his head in order to signal for the demons to be quiet. The demons complied with the command and silenced their taunting.

"What a contemptible demon hunting group we have before us. Thought we would get much more of a fight out of you because of your leader. But it turns out since your leader isn't here, you Messors are weak and pathetic. You reflect much of the characteristics of a half-demon." The lead demon spoke.

The other demon stepped one foot forward and spoke. "You all are so feeble, even your headquarters was easy to detect and penetrate. It only took us a few tries and to disable your security system."

"Then why haven't you killed us yet?" Cleaver shouted struggling form the demons.

"Let's just say, we need you alive. . . . for now." They gave a demonic smile.

Garfield resisted and thrashed about against the demons holding him. He writhed back and forth until he was released from the demons, and ran towards the forerunner demons. Before he made contact with the demons, they struck his stomach and slipped him off his feet, making him collapse to the ground. One of the demons stomped on the man several times and held him to the ground. The demons surrounding him laughed in unison. He could feel pain shooting throughout his body and head throbbing from the fall.

"How pathetic," the demon chortled.

Growling, Garfield shouted, "What the hell do you want?"

"_I want my daughter_ " a loud rumbling voice announced in the darkness. Suddenly four blood-red eyes manifested from the darkness. Appearing from the darkness was an enormous demonic figure nearly half the height of the arena ceiling. The figure's body was masculine with long white hair ending below its knees. The demon's dominate skin color was crimson, and accented with black tribal tattoos that enveloped his arms. Protruding out of his head were elk horns slightly broken. The demon had sharp ebony claws on his fingers and ram hooves for feet. Indeed, the demon looked intimidating from the first sight. He exposed his sharp canines directing his attention to Garfield collapsed on the floor.

Garfield was shaking out of fear under his realization. "_Trigon_" he whispered under his breath. The demon smirked and gave the entire arena a loud demonic laugh that reverberated throughout the field.


	21. Capitulation

Chapter Twenty-One: _Capitulation_

Trigon's laugh ricocheted throughout the arena sending the demons in a rampage of howling and screeching. Cleaver and Dante trembled in fear and the rest of the team was stunned from fright. Garfield was slightly quivering due to the immense size of the demon that stood before him. He couldn't believe in front of him was the most supreme powerful demon in the entire world. By the size of him and his army, Garfield knew Trigon was very strong. However, he could not see any resemblance between him and his only daughter. Raven must take from her late mother. Thinking about Raven's mother being murdered by this monster that stood in front of him sickened the man.

"You are correct frail human." Trigon announced with his bellowed voice. "For I am the infamous Trigon the Terrible" He raised his arms up parallel to the floor sending the demons in a roar of praise for their leader. The entire Messor team whimpered from the demon in front of him. They knew one day they would come across the notorious Trigon the Terrible, but never in their own dimension. Not to mention, they were not prepared to handle this dangerous demon; not even well-prepared for a surprise assault on their headquarters.

Feeling anger rise within him, Garfield wanted to attack the demon in front of him. The only defense he had was his voice. However, it seemed that it wasn't his words.

"_Do not call me weak you pathetic demon. My species would have demolished you centuries ago." _A deep voice escaped Garfield's lips. The demons surrounding him roared and snarled to defend against the slander of their leader. The demon holding him captive pressed even harder on the man. Trigon, however, was intrigued. He took several steps towards the man and bent forward to have a closer look.

"What did you say human?" the massive demon inquired.

The voice fled Garfield's lips and now the host the able to speak for himself. "What I said was don't call me weak."

Trigon gave the man a questionable expression and returned to where he was standing. "There's something different about you human. I just can't put my claw on it. Your scent is interesting as well. Examine the human."

The other two demons inspected the human who had fire flaring in his eyes. To Trigon's disappointment, the demons could not find any anomalies about his human. They signaled to Trigon that there was nothing different about this human.

Trigon placed his right hand under his chin scratching the stubbles on it. "So it seems you are as pathetic as other humans, but there was something earlier that sparked interest in me. You may make interesting addition to my collection."

"No he will not." A feminine voice said from the entrance of the arena. Demon and human alike turned their attention towards the voice revealing a half-demon. She glared ahead and bit her lower lip in anger. The woman began to walk towards the gargantuan demon that was entitled her father. On her pursuit, lower class demons growled, hissed, and snapped at her making a path for her to walk. It was obvious, the one thing they found more disgusting than humans were half-demons. One demon in particular got too close to the woman and consequently was punched in the face by the woman. Other demons started to attack, but were cut off by Trigon's immense voice.

"Do not touch the half-demon. One who does will be severely punished by my hands." The demons complied but still sneered at her sight. She continued to walk towards the demons but stopped where her teams had fallen. Raven delivered a sad expression to her team members and whispered her apologizes. The half-demon walked closer to Garfield and gave him an apologetic countenance. She passed the man standing between him and her father.

"Now, how did you get your archaic body here to my dimension?" she asked to the demon.

Trigon laughed softly. "I have my resources my dear daughter; I have ways." He replied.

"From what I remember you still act the same way. Your ego matches your size, and yet you are so weak as to bring your entire army retain a messily half-demon? At least your army is loyal. Ignorant, stupid, and yet loyal army you have to match your character."

Angered, one of the forerunner demons ran towards the halfling and stood in front of her to defend his leader. "Insolence! How dare you speak such defamation and insult against our leader? You should at least have the decency to hold your tongue when talking to demon you filthy half-breed." He spat. "Even your stench is repulsive. More revolting and foul than a human. You should be grateful that you have the mighty blood of Trigon's flowing through your body. If it wasn't for your whore of a mother-." Before he could complete his verbal assault, the woman took a blade from her trench coat and pierced the demon in the throat. The demon emitted a blood curdling cry and crumpled to the ground with the blade remaining in his neck. Every demon in the arena wanted to rebel against the woman, but were struck in fear by the half-breed. Raven spun towards the army revealing blood-red eyes and sharper canines. Her anger filled the air around her and her blood began rush in urgency. A thunderous snarl escaped her thin lips. The demons backed away rapidly, while Trigon smirked.

"You want to resent your demon half, but you know it will always be there. Lingering and eager to liberate itself from your body like it is right now. What you should learn is embrace your stronger half and dispose of your human qualities. After all, your demon blood is stronger than your human lifeblood. You can't deny the evil within you. Just take a glimpse at what you have done to one of my minions, my dear daughter." Trigon applauded the woman below him.

She resumed to her normal state and removed her knife from the demon corpse. "That was a fluke. I only bring out this vile side when I am provoked. When someone speaks ill of my late mother, it's inevitable that they are signing their own death sentence. Anyway, you must be really bold to come all the way up here to capture me. Why come up when you can have your dimwitted army get me?"

"Obtaining you myself is beneath me. I wanted to be certain I was there with no flaws in our mission, and I assumed you wanted to see your dear old father after so many years." He replied. "Now I have a deal to make with you daughter. Come with me quietly and I will not harm your friends, or your dimension. You should presume what the outcome will be if you do not take my offer."

Garfield shook his head and brawled for the demon release. "Raven! Don't do it! You can't!" He pleaded to the woman he loved dearly.

"Silence Garfield!" she barked at the man. Raven returned her attention to the demon in front of her. "I will go with you, if you promise to never return to this dimension and harm anyone. Especially my demon hunters."

"You have my word." Trigon grinned "So I take it you will return to the demon realm?"

The half-demon lowered her head in defeat, "Yes, I will come with you willingly."

Trigon laughed in success and victory defeating the woman. "Good. Then we must get going." He spoke returning his interest to the demon army. "All of my minions! Return to the demon realm immediately!"

The demons complied exiting the arena leaving the Messors, two leaders, and Trigon. She turned around and walked passed Garfield to her defeated team. "I am sorry team that I have failed you. I was not there to aid you and now you all are injured and some unconscious. I have been a terrible leader, but now I must leave. I will put Dante in charge of the Messor team and Cleaver second-in-command." Tears escaped her swelling eyes and turned away from the people who felt like family to her. The people who made her feel normal. The people who accepted her. "I'm sorry."

Garfield erected up and Raven walked towards the man. She stood a foot away from the man she loved so dearly and more tears spilled from her eyes. Without notice, she embraced Garfield with immense force digging her head into his chest. He responded by holding her close and soft tears trickling down his cheek. They stood there from moments in each other's embrace before Trigon commanded Raven to his side. Raven released the man and stared into his eyes one final time. She hastily took his lips with her own and released after seconds.

"I love you Garfield" she whispered as more tears stained the floor. Raven gave one concluding look at her lover and turned towards her future living as a demon. Stepping next to Trigon, she refused to glance at her team for the final time. The woman was too ashamed to look at her fallen team. Within a few seconds, a dark portal emerged and the two demons entered the realm of the demons. Raven stepped into the portal and waved goodbye before being engulfed in the portal. Trigon followed afterwards leaving the team with an empty arena, confusion, misery, and defeat within the air. Garfield collapsed to the ground in the fetal position and sobbed. The rest of the team stared at the emptiness of the arena too stunned to lift a finger.

**Reviews and Comments are suggested please!**


	22. Wounds

Chapter Twenty-Two: _Wounds_

The air was still and silent as the messors returned to the ruins of their headquarters and to lick their wounds. Nearly an hour ago, they were ambushed and attached by a swarm of demons. Held captive and many unconscious, they could only watch as their leader of four years departed with the incarnation of evil itself, Trigon the Terrible. The entire messor team was saddened and ashamed they could not help their leader, but in the end, she saved their lives sacrificing her freedom. Raven's last command before she left placed Dante the leader of the team. It took only moments for Dante to take authority by beginning to escort the severely wounded to the medical bay.

Garfield lay in the fetal position in the middle of the arena crying away his sorrows. The woman he deeply loved was now gone. He felt a terrible aching pain in his chest, and he could hear deep inside his psyche the beast was whimpering for his mate. Several minutes flew by as the man lay in the center of the field mourning the departure of the woman he dearly loved. Softly, a hand was placed on his shoulder and Garfield turned around to find Dante's gentle hand on him. Garfield's eyes were red and puffy from crying, and Dante could feel his throbbing heart crumbling. Dante's eyes were red from light crying, but mustered up the strength to take authority when it was needed.

"C'mon, let's get a move on." Dante spoke with a soft mellow voice. "If you are not too injured, can you help others who are?"

Silently, Garfield nodded his head and staggered to an upright position. His whole body ached, but was well enough to move others to the medical bay. He had a slight limp and a hunched back, but was able to make the four flights of stairs to the private hospital supporting an injured teammate. Slowly, he was able to lay the messor on the white hospital bed and sat in a chair across the room. The rest of the team members entered the room soon either as a patient, or support for the injured. Everyone crowded the room in silence while Dante took center of the circle.

"Hello everyone," Dante spoke in a commanding tone. "I am grateful we all are not too severely injured by tonight's events. I will assure you that my first priority is to get medical staff here quickly to aid the injured. While that is being done, I would like to reinforce and strengthen our security system so we have no more ambushes by demons."

The team nodded in unison as they were awed by Dante's forthcoming with his newly appointed position. Garfield stared at the man still numb from what happened earlier. Everything happened too rapid for him to recollect what exactly happened. Tears continued to travel down his cheek.

"I am hope that soon all of us heal our wounds, but it may be a while for us to heal our sores from the departure of Raven. For now, we need to focus on healing our wounds, and fixing things back to where they were prior to this incident. We must overlook the past and proceed forward into the future" Dante articulated.

"And how do you expect we do that? Completely forget about Raven?" Garfield inquired the newly appointed leader. Immediately after Dante's statement, his mood changed.

"Pardon me Garfield?" Dante asked the man sitting in the chair across the room.

"How could we just forget about Raven and move on with our lives?" Garfield asked raising his voice.

"Listen I am not implying we simply forget about Miss Raven, but simply needing to move on from this situation. We will forever hold her in our memory, but we need to fix what needs to fixed now."

Garfield stood up from his chair clenching his fists. "You act as if she's dead. Our first priority is to get her back and out of the clutches of that evil demon."

Dante exuded an exasperating sigh feeling Garfield's confusion and rage. "We all know she is not dead, but you need to understand Raven put me in charge of the team and we need to heal our wounds-"

"Then we can go get Raven." Garfield interrupted.

The team mirrored the same expression Dante was portraying. Dante shook his head and furrowed his forehead in frustration. "Let me make this clear Logan. We are not going to retrieve Raven now, or ever. It would be a dangerous and pointless task."

Garfield felt rage flow through his body. He grinded his teeth in frustration. "Pointless? How could you call it a pointless task?"

Before Dante could answer his question, Cleaver intervened feeling Dante's irritation. "Logan, you must listen and understand. It would be dangerous task since the demon realm is plethora with dangerous and formidable demons. Also, Raven went on her own will to the demon realm. She would have wanted us to continue our demon hunting without her. Our safety was her first and only concern. Raven was an astounding leader and before she left, appointed someone in command who understands her leadership style and trusts enough to take the team by the reigns. Also we cannot leave this realm in fear of more demon attacks. Although Trigon promised we would never return, we are not guaranteed his army will come back"

Garfield couldn't understand why the other messor's did not agree with him and began to gang up on him. "B-but," he staggered. "What about Raven?"

"I assure you Garfield, she will be just fine." Cleaver approached Garfield placing his hand on the man's shoulder tenderly. "We understand that you love her, but she is not coming back."

Shocked, Garfield recoiled from Cleaver's touch stunned by what he whispered. "I can't just let her go, I love her."

"We all know you love her, and were eventually expecting you two to be together. I guess you both surprised us with your display of each other's affection before Raven left." Cleaver spoke.

"How did you _expect _us to be together? We haven't even been a couple long, but you expected it?" Garfield asked directing his inquiry to the team.

A soft chuckle escaped Cleavers thin lips giving Garfield a soft smile. "There were some obvious signs from the beginning, but our hypothesis was solidified when we discovered the beast within you."

"What does the beast have to do with Raven?" Garfield inquired confused as ever.

Cleaver shook his head. "I guess she never told you." He mumbled underneath his breath and spoke to the confused man. "After we discovered the creature that lives dormant inside of you, we had to do some research. More research was done and we came to this conclusion. The beast only emerges from his host when the host feels they are in danger, or their chosen _mate _is in danger."

"Wait?" Garfield questioned, "You mean by what you're saying is, Raven is my chosen mate?"

"Exactly, you may not have chosen it on your own, but the beast chose her as his mate for life." Cleaver answered. "This may also be the reason you were not able to transform into the beast earlier due to the fact Raven was not in intimate danger."

Suddenly, Garfield felt light-headed and took a seat in his previous chair. Everything made sense when it came to demon. Whenever Raven was in danger, the beast was eager to emerge. The beast wanted her, imprinted on her, and wanted to make her his. The beast and he were one, and essentially making Raven his chosen mate. Now, his chosen mate was gone. Away from his touch and away from his embrace. It all synced into his mind making this more clear and less disoriented. He put his hands in his face exhaling a loud sigh.

"I know this news may be difficult to understand and sink in Garfield." Cleaver addressed. "We all know you love her and she loved you, but we must move on. It may be particularly difficult for you, but we must move forward. Raven would want us to."

"I understand" Garfield surrendered feeling nauseated at the same time. His chest still ached and his head continued to pound. Feeling overwhelmed with a feeling of anxiety, sadness, and hurt he desperately wanted to get out of the room.

"I completely understand, but give me some time" he stood up from his chair and slowly proceeded to the exit. "If you will excuse me, I need some time alone. If there is an emergency, I will be in my room."

The team agreed with his request and silently watched him leave the medical bay. Garfield hung his head low and dragged his feet on the floor. He entered the nearest elevator and proceeded to his destination. The man trudged down the hallway and ended up at his destination. He shamefully glanced at the heading on the door labeled "Raven" and entered the code to the apartment suite.

Immediately, the scent of lavender set crashing in his nose. It depressed the man quickly and entered the apartment suite. Although he said he was going to be in his room, Garfield did not want to be disturbed. He opened the door to the bedroom and glanced towards the giant bed. Gradually, the man walked towards the bed and plopped on the purple silk sheets. Her scent filled the entire room. The air, the walls, and the items were all marked with her particular scent. Memories flashed in his mind of the woman he loved so dearly and he hastily plunged his face in a pillow and sobbed.

As time passed, he ceased weeping. However, he continued to felt an aching feeling in his chest. He lay there for moments on the bed thinking of the woman he loved. Gradually and unexpectedly, a new sensation infiltrated his body. He no longer felt sadness, but a feeling of empowerment. He lifted up in head with eyes of fire. A rush of strength filtered through his body. Although the other messors were unwilling to get Raven back, it only meant he would be the one to return her. The messors had already done well without him before, and he was determined to return the woman he loved. Whether it was his own feelings or the beast's yearning for his mate, the man gave into this sensation. Without hast, Garfield left Raven's apartment suite heading towards the library.


	23. Detached

Chapter Twenty-Three: _Detached_

Looking left. Scanning right. Glancing left once again. He felt like he was crossing a busy intersection. Though he was in a hallway, the man did not want to be detected. Slowly and cautiously, Garfield tip toed down the hall to his destination. There was not a peep in the hallway, since the other team members were asleep. Soon, he reached his destination. He looked up at the door, took a deep breath and twisted the handle to enter within. He had been in this room many times, but the room felt drafty and had a depressing mood in the a.

Finding his way through the darkness, Garfield fettled around the desk and found the lamp. Once the light illuminated the room, it brought back memories. Memories when he first started as a Messor, and when he accidently stumbled upon Raven changing. He sighed thinking about her. He truly missed her. Only a day had passed, and it seemed like weeks for him. Trying to ignore his emotions, Garfield quickly looked around for what he wanted.

He checked the Messor library. He investigated Raven's room. Nothing turned up. The only place he could think of searching was her office. What was he searching for? As stubborn as this man was, Garfield was searching for a way to go to the demonic realm. Though it would sound foolish, but for a man in love, it seemed reasonable.

Garfield started with the bookshelves. He was primarily searching for a book to reference upon, but if there was another way, the man would surely jump on the opportunity. Speaking of jumping, Garfield nearly flew out of his skin when he heard the door to the office open. Quickly he looked towards to door to find Cleaver standing near the threshold wearing a confused expression on his face.

"Logan?" Cleaver asked to the suspicious man ahead of him. "What are you doing? It's three in the morning."

Thinking for what seemed like forever, he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. Suddenly, he came up with an idea. "Well, I was . . . uh, looking for something." He slightly stuttered. He felt somewhat guilty that he lied to a teammate. However, it was not a complete lie since he was looking for something.

Cleaver crossed his arms and gave the other man a skeptical expression. "Really? What, exactly, were you looking for?"

Yet, another time where he had to come up with an excuse. "A book." Garfield spat feeling his heart race.

Cleavers expression changed from skeptical to amused. "Ha! You? Looking for a book? Now that's a complete lie Logan." The man chuckled. "Now tell me what you were really looking for."

Though he was slightly telling the truth, Garfield was now cornered, in a sense, to explain what he was really doing. Closing his eyes while he exhaled a loud sigh, he confessed. "Well, I _was _looking for a book if you can believe it. What book exactly? Something to reference how to go to the demonic realm. I searched the library, Raven's room, and the only place left to look was this office."

Soon, Cleaver's expression changed once again. This time, his expression went from amused to serious. "Logan, how many times do I have to tell you? We are not going to the demonic realm to retrieve Miss Raven. It is far too dangerous for the whole team and would cut into our Messor time here."

"You wouldn't believe how many times I've heard that lecture from you and Dante. You don't think I know that? That's why I am going to find a way to the demonic realm by myself. I know it will be dangerous, but I can't stand to be here without her. I won't stop to find my way to here. That's why I'm looking and you can't stop me." Garfield raised his voice.

Cleaver shook his head and placed three fingers on his forehead. The two men stood feet away from each other in silence until Cleaver spoke. "Okay Logan. I know this may be out of line for me to offer this but I-"

"You can't stop me from doing this Cleaver." Garfield interrupted.

Cleaver walked closer to Garfield standing only a feet away from him. "And you do not think I know that Mister Logan? Before you interrupted me, I was going to say there is no book in here to reference ways to go to the demonic world." Garfield slumped feeling he had lost all hope. "However, I am a resource to go to the demonic world."

Suddenly Garfield jumped closer to Cleaver changing his mood. "How?" Garfield asked eagerly.

"I've been to the demon world twice in my life for Messor business and I can take you there." Cleaver explained briefly.

"Really?" Garfield feverishly grabbed the collar of Cleaver's polo shirt.

"Yes, now there are some conditions Logan." Cleaver announced raising his right index finger. Garfield inched closer. "First, I ask that you let go of my collar and step a few feet back."

Complying with the condition, Garfield released his polo shirt and backed away. Cleaver dusted and readjusted his shirt. "Thank you Logan. Second, we must not tell anyone of this. Especially Dante. Next, I will accommodate you to help guide you around and make sure you do not do anything stupid. Well, let me rephrase; anything more ridiculous."

Eagerly, Garfield shook his head with a smile on his face. "Agreed! Is that all the conditions?"

"One more," Cleaver said "You must follow my commands in the demon world. It could be life or death there."

Garfield fiercely nodded his head. "You've got a deal! Now when can we go?"

Cleaver examined his watch for several seconds. "The portal that I will make can only work on a full-moon. Luckily, there is a full-moon in four days."

"Four days?" Garfield complained. "That's too long."

"Take it or leave it Logan. Wait four days, or wait another month." Cleaver crossed his arms once again.

Garfield lowered his head and sighed. "I guess I can wait four days. Maybe in that amount of time you can teach me how things work in the demonic world before we step foot into it."

"Great plan." Cleaver said walking towards the threshold. "Tomorrow we will start our training. Now, go get some sleep Logan we've got rigorous training ahead of us."

Garfield saluted Cleaver's demands. "You got it sir." He closed the office door behind him, and preceded towards his apartment a floor below. He wore a huge smile on his face thinking that in four days, he would see his mate.

In a separate dimension lay a new world for one to see. Blood red skies filled the above atmosphere. Throughout the land, molted rocks scattered the region and lava streamed rampant in the area. Ghostly black figures dispersed in areas and districts they called home. The air was thick with soot and ash permeated the atmosphere. Trigon's wrath and power filled the entire realm.

In the depths of the demonic realm, there lay a half-demon in a large Gothic-style castle in the center of the region. The woman lay in her king-size bed fully awake staring at the sheets that covered the lower half of her body. Though it was warm in the depths of the demonic realm, her bed felt cold and void. She was so used to having someone in the bed next to her to welcome her to a new morning. However, this was not a good morning. Every morning in the demonic world was not a good morning. She truly missed waking up to the sun in her face, and Garfield cradling her. Hesitantly, Raven withdrew the covers from her body and sat up in the bed. Slowly, she walked towards the large window in her bedroom.

She stood at the window gazing at the red sky above and flashes of lightning overhead. Her face was expressionless as her thoughts were silent as well. Only a few thoughts raced in her mind. Her team, her dimension, and certain the man she loved were all the things that floated in her psyche. She felt an aching pain in her chest whenever she thought about this man. It had been only two days since her departure, and she had already lost hope.

Ever since her arrive in this dimension, she had barely spoken a word. Within that span of time, her hair grew rapidly. Raven deeply hated having long hair, especially in this dimension, but was too depressed to take action. Another noticeable change in the woman was her outfit. Since she was royalty, Raven was required to wear a Victorian style dress. Oh how she hated wearing dresses but it was the only apparel she was given.

A soft knock at the door brought the woman back to reality. Without saying a word, two demon maids entered the room. Raven gave a blank stare to the woman. She knew why they were in her room. They were in her room to prepare her to meet her suitor Trigon had chosen for her. The women bowed to show respect, but Raven knew better. The only reason they acted proper was due to fact Trigon had ordered them to. She could see the expression in their faces when they got near her. They cringed at her scent and at times plugged their nose when Raven glanced away. Nearly all demons despised her in this dimension, but she did not care. In all honesty, she refused to associate with her kind as well.

Slowly she walked towards the vanity and sat in the chair facing the mirror. The women began to work on her appearance. They styled her hair, painted her nails, fashioned make-up, and finished with jewelry. Once they finished, they left Raven in the room alone. Raven continued to sit at the vanity staring at herself. She knew she hated looking at her appearance especially in this type of situation. Within a short time, she would be meeting her suitor and felt nauseated by the thought of it. She gave an exasperated sigh when another soft knock entered the atmosphere.

"Hello my dear daughter." A voice bellowed from the opening door.

She did not have to look to find the source of the voice. She continued to stare at herself in the mirror. Within a few seconds, he appeared behind her. Trigon withdrew from his large stature to a normal size demon. He normally returned to this state when he was not making a presentation or entrance. The demon smiled and laid his two large hands on his daughter's thin shoulders.

"You look beautiful my daughter." He whispered. Raven merely scuffed knowing he was lying to get his way. "Within a few minutes you will be meeting your suitor and am I expect that you will show the upmost respect to this male?"

Still expressionless, Raven nodded. Nevertheless, she had to control herself by nodding. Inside her mind, she wanted to turn around and strangle the demon behind her, but it would be useless.

"I expect you to be down in the imperial study in five minutes after you put on the dress I assigned you. Remember, there is no stopping what is meant to be." Trigon withdrew his hands from her shoulders, to his sides and exited the bedroom.

Raven continued to stare at herself in the mirror felling her strength dwindling away. To the right, a black and red gown hung from the closet door. Without destroying her newly styled hair, she put the dress on. Again, she looked at herself in the mirror, but there was something that had changed since she last looked in the mirror. Her eyes were red and tears began to form in her eyes. She closed her eyes hoping that she could wish it all away.

A few moments later, she opened her eyes realizing nothing had changed. Raven sighed and used her abilities to return her eyes to their original state. She looked in the mirror for the final time and exited the room.


	24. Suitor

Chapter Twenty-Four: _Suitor_

Hesitantly, Raven walked down the dark halls of the royal castle. Just like the disparity outside the castle, the hallways were just as dreary and dark. They were painted in a crimson red, illumined by dark lighting, and had the foul smell of demon odor. While she walked down the gloomy hallways, several demon servants that worked in the castle stopped in their tracks to bow to the half-demon empress. Unbeknownst to the half-demon, they held their breath as she passed by them, but she paid the demons no mind. However, Raven's thoughts were consumed by what is to become of her. She was still uncomfortable with the fact that she would have to marry a demon and give birth to Trigon's grandchild. Each time Ravem thought about the situation, she fell ill with nausea.

Soon, she found herself at the door of the imperial study. Raven could sense that there were two beings behind the door. One aura radiated from Trigon, and the other aura oozed from an unknown entity. She assumed that this would be her suitor. Thankfully, the door was cracked and the woman took a quick peek inside. Yet, door was slightly ajar, so she could only she a piece of the study. Raven saw several chairs, bookshelves, and books; but did not find the two entities. She could only hear what they were saying.

"Is everything in place?" an unknown voice asked. Raven assumed that this was the voice of her suitor.

A soft chuckle echoed throughout the room. "Yes. Everything should go according as planned. I warned her of her behavior and she should be down within moments. You do know that she is tainted with the blood of human?"

"Of course your highness. Everyone in the whole demonic world knows."

"Please, do not address me as your highness. After all, once you marry my daughter, you will be compensated with a seat in the royal thrown beside me." Trigon explained.

"Will I also get a dowry for this?" The suitor asked.

"Yes you will be paid in no time. You will have all the money you will need. All I ask is that you marry my daughter, and plant your seed within her womb. After she gives birth, I will take care of daughter afterwards no worries."

Raven turned away from the door. She could feel tears accumulating in her eyes. However, she didn't know why exactly. The woman knew exactly that her father was evil and this wouldn't be a surprise from him at all. The half-demon knew that she was a pawn in his game, like all his subordinates. She closed her eyes picturing Garfield in mind. All she wanted was him; no one else. But she would sacrifice her freedom for the sake of his life and her Messors. Raven opened her eyes and grabbed the knob of the door to enter. She took a step in the study, having two pairs of eyes upon her.

"Ahh I see our Empress has finally graced us with her presence at last." Trigon announced standing next to her soon-to-be suitor. "Archon, this is my daughter, Raven."

The suitor bowed and Raven returned the favor with a curtsey. The demon was about average height with dark hair and eyes. His hair was short, nails were long, lips were thin, and having an average stature. He wore a black suit with a red tie. Archon also wore a smug expression on face with slight disgust. She could tell, like other demons, he did not like her scent. However, he covered his disgust better than the other demons.

"Pleasure to meet you." Archon greeted the woman.

"Likewise." She lied through her teeth.

Archon walked closer to woman, and she clenched her fists holding her rage. Once he was a few feet away from her, he softly took her left hand and placed a soft kiss on the top of her hand. Raven wanted to roll her eyes for how cliché this demon was towards her.

"You truly are a sight to be seen. I cannot wait to make you my wife." Archon stated, but she knew better; he was lying through his teeth as well.

Slowly, the demon circled the woman and examined her features. He looked at her up and down, and Raven felt offended by this action.

"Why you are circling me? Are you some type of vulture?" Raven snarled to the demon. She could see at the edge of the vision, Trigon cross his arms in disapproval.

"My dear," Archon softly said still inspecting the woman. "I am just examining the features of my future wife of course."

He traced his fingers along her hips. "After all," he whispered close to her ear "You have the perfect hips. Perfect for childbearing."

Raven growled under her breath hoping the demon would hear her but not her so-called father. Archon withdrew from her ear and smirked. "My my, aren't we frisky? I do hope that you are this frisky in bed."

She wanted to punch him. She wanted to stab him. She wanted to put him out of his misery, but no, she kept her cool and bit her tongue. Archon inched near her face and closed his eyes. The suitor took a large intake of air, smelling the woman. He held his breath and wore a questionable expression on his face. He lowered his head and opened his eyes. His expression changed from amused, to angry. His dark eyes bore into her amethyst ones. Archon cringed and bared his sharp canines. The male turned away from the half-demon and faced her father.

"Prey tell, what is the issue?" Trigon asked confused as ever.

"The issue?" Archon yelled angered. "I cannot believe I did not detected it earlier. And you? You've gotten too old to even detect it!"

"What do you mean Archon?" Trigon asked.

The suitor pointed towards the woman. "This half-breed is no longer a virgin. I am absolutely positive that you promised me that this insubordinate half-blood was a virgin, which was an agreement we had for me marring this wrench!"

Raven could feel her heart race as she saw the anger and rage from Archon and, not to mention, confusion from Trigon. She stood their motionless and expressionless as Archon yelled at Trigon.

"Someone has taken what is rightfully mine and I will not stand for this. You promised me a virgin and you gave me whore! Deal is off." Archon stomped out of the room leaving Raven and Trigon alone.

The woman looked down at her feet not wanting to make eye contact with her father. Trigon walked closer to the half-demon and stood a few feet away from her. She continued to look at the ground. Swiftly, Trigon took his hand and slapped the woman on her cheek sending her to the wood flooring. She whimpered feeling a burning sensation on her cheek. Raven could taste the bitter iron aftertaste of blood in her mouth.

"You bitch!" Trigon bellowed with fire in his eyes. "Just like your filthy whore of a mother."

Raven looked up at Trigon the Terrible feeling her body shake in fear.

"Guards!" Trigon called and soon three imperial guards entered the study. "Take this whore away from me. I do not even think about taking her to her quarters. I command that you take her to the catacombs where she belongs!"

Raven gasped and was taken into custody of the three demons. She tried to resist, but her strength was slowly dwindling away like her hope.


	25. Incarceration

Chapter Twenty-Five: _Incarceration_

Raven laid on her side in the fetal position on the cold damp catacomb cell. It was very dark with only one light source being a torch outside of her cell, but only for the guards. The walls were molded grey brick and very thick; difficult to penetrate to the exterior. She had been lying in the same position for several hours staring at the back wall. The half-demon refused to face the opening of her cell to the guards that watched the prison. A day had passed since her confinement but it felt like a few days to the woman.

In spite of this, Raven would prefer a dank prison cell rather than be in the presence of her father. Her hatred of him seemed to intensify since her arrival in the demonic realm. Who would have thought Trigon would place her in same exact cell she was in nearly nine years ago? But Raven didn't complain. She was familiar with the small prison. It wasn't as elegant as her room in the palace above or even her apartment suite in the human world. Her clothing was not as elegant either. The convict was stripped of her dress and placed it with rags for her to wear. Again, she preferred this attire compared to the large Victorian style dress.

She was offered food from the guards but immediately refused to consume it. It even sat there for hours while her stomach craved something to fill her vacant stomach. Again, she did not care what befell other demons who offered her assistance even in her incarceration. The woman knew they were obligated by the command of their leader. Raven blocked out each guard effectively, but so successfully she did not notice a familiar presence approaching her lockup. There was a dark presence blocking out the only source of light clicking the woman's attention back to reality. She continued to lie on the cold floor waiting for the silhouette to speak.

"Good evening my dear daughter." A bellowed voice spoke to the inmate. Raven continued her face away from the dark figure. Deep inside she wanted to lash out knowing who the presence was, but had to control herself since that was something he wanted.

"What the hell do you want?" she asked bitterly still facing the back of the wall.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "I thought I would pay a visit to my dear daughter."

She retorted with scuff. "Now that is a lie. I know you're only here because you want something. That's how it has always been and that's how it will always be. Why don't you just cut to the chase and tell me what you want."

"Oh you are mistaken my dear." He stepped closer to the cell. "I have come to give you some good news."

"Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm." She said sarcastically. Slowly, she retreated from her fetal position and turned towards the figure. To her dismay and hypothesis, it was none other than Trigon.

"It seems that after a long discussion with Archon, he will forgive your transgressions." Trigon said with a smirk on his face.

"Yippee." Yet again, she said another sarcastic comment towards the demon.

"However, it will not be that easy my dear daughter. I warn you, it comes with a price." Trigon's grin grew more malicious.

Raven merely raised one eyebrow interested in what he was about to say. "And what would this be?"

Trigon laced his fingers together. "We both have come to a consensus. You cannot be a good daughter or wife with the type of attitude you have. So we have decided to break you of this insubordinate mindset."

"I am not a horse. You cannot expect to break me." She retorted furrowing her eyebrows.

"Not in that manner half-demon." Trigon crossed his arms. "I simply want to break you of your spirit. It has been done before and I assure that you will be broken of your spirit."

"Give it all you've got. You'll never break me." Raven said with confidence.

Trigon turned to his side closing his eyes. Soon, his devious smile grew and Raven had a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Well if you will not comply, we may just have to take a different approach. Maybe I should just retrieve that man back in the human world. You know, the one you gave a loving last farewell hug and kiss."

The woman's eyes grew wide and she stood up quickly approaching the bars of her prison. She grabbed two of the bars with her hands and gave the demon an intimidating stare. "I thought we had a deal."

"But my dear, our agreement was that I would no longer return to the human realm. That does not insinuate that I cannot send guards or an army to retrieve this man."

"You wouldn't dare." She challenged her face pressed against the bars.

Trigon turned to face her once again and could see the rage and fire within her eyes. He lifted her chin to his height. "I would without a moment's notice."

Raven snarled and clawed at the demon. He stepped away from the enraged woman but was grazed on the cheek by her nails. She could feel herself slipping.

"And that is exactly what I want to see tomorrow. As long as you cooperate in the imperial coliseum, I will not have that man escorted here. After all, if I do get my claws on him, I will have to kill him. Seeing as he is the one who helped break my deal with your suitor and stole what was rightfully Archon's."

Baffled by his statement, she withdrew from the bars of the cell with wide eyes. "How did you know?"

A loud chuckled escaped the demon's lips. "You seem to not grasp the idea that I have kept my eye on you since you escaped from me nine years ago. I have always kept my eye on you."

Raven's mood changed drastically when all she felt was hopelessness and dismay. She returned to the back the cell and drew herself in the fetal position.

Trigon smiled at her defeat knowing that tomorrow he would be able to break her spirit. "Tomorrow, you will be escorted to the imperial coliseum for you to be broken. I look forward to seeing you there. Who knows, after you are dispirited, I may even consider keeping you alive after you give birth to my grandchild." The demon laughed and walked away from the prison cell that held his daughter.

Raven held her legs closer to her body. She wanted to feel that she was feeling something. Yet, at this moment, she felt numb. Her soul and body were consumed with hopelessness. The only thing driving her was the thought of Garfield's safety. No matter what it took for him to be safe, she would sacrifice her freedom and anything else for the one she truly loved. The entire night she held her body closer while tears soaked the cold floor.

**Thank you reader for following up with this story. I assure you I am trying my hardest to update quickly as can. I thank you for your patience and I hope the story will be worth the wait. (and hopefully I haven't intimidated or sent you bored by how many chapters there are. Didn't realize how long I was going to make this story.)**


	26. Broken

Chapter Twenty-Six: _Broken_

"Why do we have to wear these old musky clothes? They reek." Garfield complained as he sniffed the collar of his attire. He was wearing a loose fitting white dress shirt that had ruffles in the front. To accompany the outfit, he wore a pair of black slacks, a mahogany belt, and to finish it off a pair of dress shoes. The man found it odd that since they were on a rescue mission, they wouldn't have to dress so professional. His initial thoughts were they would wear casual clothes or even a nice suit. But instead, they both wore this attire.

Cleaver continued to adjust his pant leg and sighed out of frustration. "We have to wear these to blend into the demon world. Not to mention they mask our human scent so we won't be detected so easily. It smells foul to you because you smell the demon scent it's smothered in."

Garfield shrugged his shoulders and continued to adjust his outfit. He made sure he packed several knives and two guns. At first it was uncomfortable, but he adapted to a handgun tucked in his socks. Cleaver was finishing the last touches on the portal while Garfield waited patiently.

It was nearly midnight and the full moon lit up the dark sky. It had been several days and he was growing anxious. The man barely slept thinking about the demon world, Raven, and what will come about this journey. Surely he knew that it would be dangerous, but he did not know what to expect. At least Cleaver was there to guide him around the demon realm. Garfield's thoughts consumed primarily on Raven. He was concerned about her well-being and for her safe return back to the human world. His thoughts were interrupted when Cleaver nudged him.

"The portal is almost ready. We will be departing soon." He addressed. "But first, we must go over a few rules before we leave."

Garfield nodded almost feeling he was being lectured. "Follow my rules when we are here, let me speak, only speak when you are spoken to, keep your cool, and for the most part, if we do encounter Miss Raven, do not go into a situation blindly."

"I understand." Garfield nodded his head in agreement.

"Good." Cleaver replied walking towards the portal. They were in the gymnasium in the headquarters where no one would expect them to be. Earlier, Cleaver poured a white powdery substance in an oval shape in the center. Eventually, Cleaver lit a match and ignited the white substance in a green flame. Suddenly, an elliptical sphere appeared above the flame making a three-dimensional sphere appear. A blue vortex appeared before them and Garfield stared in awe.

"Okay, I will head in first and follow me in." Cleaver instructed taking a step into the portal.

Garfield trailed behind him and hesitantly walked into the portal. Once, his body was in the portal, the opening closed behind him. The portal transformed in a tunnel exposing bright lights of color. They both walked casually through the tunnel and an ending appeared only a few feet away from them. When they reached the ending, they fell downward and found themselves smack dab on molted rock ground. Well, at least Cleaver kept his balance; whereas Garfield landed face first.

"Sorry I forgot about that." Cleaver apologized extending a hand. Garfield accepted it and stood on his two feet.

Now, the two men stood before immense scenery. It surely had all the characteristics of what the demon realm was expected to be; except, Garfield did not expect to see a gargantuan castle in the center of the city. Luckily, there were no demons around when they arrived. But it seemed as if there were no demons around.

"You see that over there?" Cleaver pointed to the castle. "That is Trigon's castle. Miss Raven will most likely be there."

Garfield nodded and they proceeded towards the center of the city. Eventually they reached a couple of demons near a shop. The two men were nervous and scared they would be exposed. To their fortune, they paid no mind to them. However, something was concerning Cleaver.

"This is very strange. The streets are always filled with demons but it is nearly empty. It doesn't feel right." Cleaver whispered to Garfield.

"Really?" the man asked and watched as Cleaver led them so two demons talking outside a building.

"Hello Gentlemen," Cleaver greeted the two demon males and they turned their attention to them. "May I ask you two a question?"

"Sure.' They both replied in a monotonous tone. It was obvious they found the two men in front of them odd, but did not look much into it.

"My friend and I have been gone for a while in the human world and I find it odd that the streets are nearly empty. Is there an event?"

"Why yes there is an event." One demon male replied in a deep voice. "It actually was announced this morning and everyone has rushed to the imperial coliseum."

"What event would cause almost the entire demon population to clammier to the coliseum?" Cleaver curiously asked.

"There's a half-demoness that is going to be broken and may end in her being put out of her misery" The other demon snickered. "It's rumored that she is related to the great Trigon and he must keep her in line. Breakings are always great entertainment. We will be leaving for the coliseum soon to see it happen."

Garfield and Cleaver looked at each other with eyes wide as saucers. It was obvious they were thinking the same thing. Garfield's heart began to race and he could feel his body temperature rise. He did not know what they meant by 'breaking' but he knew it did not sound good. Cleaver continued to keep his composer and turned his attention to the demons.

"Sounds entertaining!" he said enthusiastically "May we accompany you two?"

The demons smiled and nodded their heads. "Of course. Let us go."

The two men followed the demons fearing what was about to happen and what they were about to see.

"Time to leave you filthy half-breed." Commanded the guard opening the door to the cell. He stomped into the cell yanking the arm of the prisoner. She growled under her breath but did not react to the forceful pull. She nearly stumbled to the ground from fatigue and hunger. Raven felt dazed from the interaction as the guard led her out of solitary confinement. The guard did not even bother to chain her hands or legs, but sensing her weakness, the demon thought she wouldn't be much of a threat.

Eventually, a light appeared at the end of hallway. With each step, her stomach began to drop further and further. This may have also been due to the fact she hadn't eaten since her arrival in the demon world and had little water.

Once they reached the threshold between pure darkness and into light, Raven cringed at the harsh luminosity. She had been in the darkness for so long, the light burned and stung her amethyst eyes. It took her a while for eyes to adjust, but could only see blobs, shapes, and shadows. But she knew where she was. The imperial coliseum. The place where her mother was killed and now, where she would fall as well.

Soon, blobs turned to actual vivid images, but that did not make her feel better. All around her demons eagerly waited for her arrival. They were acting barbaric screaming, howling, clawing, and other primal reactions. She could smell their foul scent everywhere making her want to vomit. Again, she had nothing to regurgitate. Then she looked to her right.

Memories flashed in her mind quickly in her mind. There were still blood stains on the ground. The same ground where her mother's body lay dead in a pool blood, while her father hovered over body grinning at what he had accomplished. Raven was haunted by her memories of the past and soon the present would focus her attention.

The guard pushed the woman to the ground on her knees, and she quietly shrieked. In reaction to this, the guard laughed and retreated, leaving Raven alone in the center of the arena. She continued to survey around the area. The demons continued their taunting towards her. The ground below her was a hard rock stained with remnants of old blood. From what she remembered when she was in the demon world, this was a place for public display of torture of demons that went against Trigon or other high demons.

While scanning her surroundings, her attention focused on two figures sitting in the balcony. Upon further examination, the half demon recognized the two figures making her blood boil with anger. One the left sat Archon with a smug look on his face. He no longer looked angry, but quite content staring down at the half-demon. She made direct eye contact with him even though he was at a large distance. Raven scowled at him and he merely smiled at the woman.

Then she directed her attention to the figure sitting next to him. Of course this figure would choose Archon as his right hand man. Even though when it came to blood lines, she should have been sitting to the right of this figure. However, she detested the idea of sitting to Trigon's right side proudly. The woman continued her scowl but intensified her expression. Much to the same reaction as Archon, Trigon grinned showing his pearl white teeth.

Slowly, the demon king stood up, making the crowd fall silent and direct their attention towards him. Raven clenched her fists trying to retrain herself and keep her composer. Trigon smirked at the woman below and directed his view to his surrounding subordinates.

"My minions," His bellowed voice echoed through the large coliseum. "I welcome you all to the imperial coliseum in order to witness the breaking of this inferior being."

With that statement lingering in the air, the demons howled and cackled encouraging their leader to continue speaking. Raven raised her eyebrows and scuffed at the ignorance of these demons. She knew that the demons in the demonic realm were very naïve and ignorant. Raven merely thought of them as animals taking human form.

"This half-breed you see before you must be broken of her spirit." Trigon continued, "She has gone against my superior power and must be punished. Now, we will witness this wench's spirit torn to shreds. In the end, she will never go against my whim. Instead, she will be only used as the way only half-demons are used for demons. A servant to our needs!" Again, the barbarians applauded their leader. Trigon returned his attention to his daughter.

"Are you ready to be broken filthy half-breed?" Trigon asked leaning over the balcony.

She scuffed once again, "Fuck you. You cannot break me. The only way you could break me is to kill me. So why not go through all this effort and just kill me now?" she shouted showing her white teeth.

"Now that wouldn't be fun wouldn't it?" The demon smiled and returned to his position next to Archon. "You are wasting precious time half-breed. I look forward to what is about to occur."

Trigon slowly sat down and raised his right hand above his head. "Let us get started. Commander! Release them!"

Immediately, Raven heard two harsh sounds behind her. It was similar to the sound of unlocking metal. Hesitantly, Raven turned around. The woman never noticed two underground doors ten feet behind her. The doors slowly opened and Raven could sense something beyond those doors. Even though she felt weak, Raven mustered all her strength to stand up. She knew she would be faced with something stronger than her and she needed to fight back in order to stay alive. The doors halted and she heard a distinct growl form the darkness. Whatever it was, it wasn't friendly.

Two large creatures manifested from the depths of the darkness revealing their forms into the light. The creatures were about the size of a lioness but had the stature of a komodo dragon. They were ebony with neither scales nor fur. Their eyes were blood red staring down at the half-demon before them. And Raven knew what their fowl creatures were. Underlings.

From what she recalled, these creatures were the foot soldiers of demons. They were not intelligent, but skillful when it came to mindless, predatory killing. Even though they lacked intelligence compared to the average demon, they had a knack to inflict more damage than a demon. Another thing that concerned Raven was how venomous they were. A couple of bites to a human would kill them in minutes, but do no harm to full-fledged demons. Trigon truly made a wise choice choosing these demons to attack her. Although she was part demon, her human side would be her falter if she were to be bitten by these creatures. She wouldn't die instantly compared to a human, but she would be in pure agony from their poison. Raven wouldn't die, but would have to suffer through the pain. The woman knew she had to muster all her strength to stay alive and fend off these creatures.

The two underlings hissed similar to the sound of an alligator. They slowly walked forward keeping their red eyes on their prey. Eventually they separated and encircled the woman. Raven turned into a defensive stance watching the underlings circling her like prey. They continued to close the gap between them and the woman. The demon to her left bolted towards the woman.

Raven attempted to dodge the attack but the demon's claw gashed her left forearm. The woman grunted and demon licked the blood from its claw. The other demon followed pursuit and attempted to attack from behind. However, her elbow crashed into the creature's throat making it back off in pain. She could feel her strength coming back but did not know where it was manifesting from.

Caught off guard, Raven felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Turning slightly, she found the other underling sinking its canines in it. She jerked her shoulder to get the demon off and to her luck, it did. The demon licked his teeth savoring her taste. The wound hurt and Raven yelped in pain. The demons surrounding her laughed and applauded the speckle before them. Trigon and Archon continued to smirk and watch from above.

She collapsed in pain holding her shoulder to relieve from the burning and stinging sensations. The half-demon tried to keep her guard up while watching the demons. But before she could dodge it, an underling pounced on her weak body and bit into her hip. She shrieked in pain and was paralyzed from the attack. The demon would not latch off no matter how she squirmed. The woman felt herself getting weaker and weaker. But Raven felt a sensation in the depths of her psyche, yearning to break free. She was too weak to resist the sensation, and gave it full adulterated control.

Within a blink of an eye, the demon was thrown off the woman and pinned to the wall. It surprised the entire crowd and intrigued Trigon. He peered over the balcony and smiled at the sight he was seeing. Below him, Raven pinned the underling baring Trigon's traits. Her canines grew and her eyes transformed to crimson red. She smiled demonically at the creature and sent it crashing to the ground feet away. The underling cried and Raven smiled at what she had done. She pounced on the underling like it had done to her earlier. With wicked eyes, she took her long sharp claws and dug it through the demon's torso. The underling's cry was sharp and piercing to the human ear. To the demoness, it was the sound was beautiful music.

To stop the demon's cries, the half-demon ripped what was to be assumed the jugular vein of the demon; using only her sharp teeth. The demon let out one final cry and its body fell stiff and limp.

Raven stood up and licked her lips from the demon's blood. Her lower face was covered entirely with demon blood and flesh. Above, Trigon smiled proudly to what his daughter had done. For the first time, he referred to her as his daughter. The woman closed her eyes and held her head up to the sky letting out a venomous laugh.

Unbeknownst to her, the other underling was planning to attack. Swiftly and without fear, the underling charged towards the woman. Sensing another presence approaching her, she opened her eyes, but it was too late. The underling head butted her into one of the walls making a large impression into the concrete wall. The half-demon groaned, but before she could react, it bit into her neck trying to rip out her throat. Before its teeth sunk deeper, Raven grabbed the underling by its neck and threw it to the center of the coliseum. It growled once it got back up to its feet. She could feel herself become weaker, but continued her raging assault on the creature.

The woman charged toward the demon and it did the same. When they were feet apart, the demon jumped and Raven kept stopped her charge. Before it could make contact, she used her hands to give some leverage between her and the underling. Her muscles became weaker as the demon struggled between her grasp. She was becoming more fatigue and the demon's weight eventually dislocated her left shoulder sending her in pain to the ground.'

The underling gladly took the opportunity and sunk his teeth into her abdomen. She screamed and in defense, impaled her sharp claws through the demon's neck to its upper head. The demon was silent and collapsed on the woman. The half-demon used the rest of her strength to move the demon off her body, but it was futile. In order to free herself from its weight, she dragged her body from the demon and eventually slipped from beneath the demon.

Feeling herself weaken with each labored breath, she returned to her normal state. Raven no longer portrayed traits from her father, but lay before the demons in her inferior state. She lifted up her head to look towards Trigon. She could see content and satisfaction within his expression as his only living offspring was beaten and broken. The pain was awful and she could no longer hold onto her pride. Without delay, she vomited traces of blood and other bodily liquids. She let herself cry and waited for her fate. Raven let her head crash onto the floor from exhaustion. The poison in her body was coursing quickly through her, making her entire body burn. The half-demon no longer wanted to fight anymore. He had done it. Trigon had actually done it. Raven Roth had been _broken_.


	27. Anxiety

Chapter Twenty-Seven: _Anxiety _

Cleaver and Garfield continued to trail behind the two demons they had just met who were escorting them to the imperial coliseum. Every once and a while Cleaver would glace over at Garfield sensing his concern. He truly didn't mask it well. At least they did not raise too much suspicion when they approached the demons. Yet, Cleaver would not lie or admit aloud that he was almost as nervous and tense as Garfield was. The thought of his leader in danger made his heart race. Cleaver, however, was able to conceal his anxiety unlike the man next to him.

Garfield's heart was racing quickly each step he took. The thought of Raven in danger made him uneasy. He was washed with many emotions that were not only his, but the beast's emotions as well. The thought of his mate in peril made the beast's blood boil and want to take everything and everyone down in order to get to his mate. Not only was Garfield trying to reign over his own emotions, he had to control the beast from emerging from the surface. Who knows what consequences he would face revealing the beast in the demon realm.

He looked over to Cleaver who he sensed was nervous as well, but kept his composure well. Once they made eye contact, Cleaver gave him a reassuring nod, but at the same time a face that expressed, _Don't do anything stupid or irrational_. Recognizing this message, Garfield nodded and continued to act normal.

The walk to the imperial coliseum was silent the entire way. Not even the two demons that knew each other spoke to one another. It was subtle that they were uneasy about these men they only met minutes ago but chose not to act upon their suspicion.

Within no time, they group stood in front of the giant coliseum. The two men would have to admit, the building was very impressive. It was made of only dark stone and had carvings all around it. They could hear a loud roar of applause from the interior of the stadium.

One of the demons scuffed, "I truly hope we did not miss any of it."

"I as well, and I hope we can at least get a seat." The other demon replied entering the doors of the coliseum.

Instinctively, the two men followed the two demons to where they were going. They climbed several flights of stairs to enter in the middle of the seating. The two demons searched for seats blocking Cleaver and Garfield's chance to see what was happening. Garfield tried to push himself to see the bottom of the coliseum. Once he got an opening, his eyes were met with a gruesome sight.

Fifty feet below the newcomers, lay three beings on the stadium battle ground. Two of the beings were these large black creatures Garfield couldn't recognize, but his eyes were immediately drawn to the last being. His heart stopped when his eyes found Raven lying on her stomach with small pools of blood below her. He couldn't tell whether or not that was her blood or the creatures they lay dead beside her. But he knew the pile of vomit belonged to her that sat on her left. Tears began to form in his eyes.

The man quickly attempted to take a step downward, but a forceful grip grabbed his shoulder. Garfield looked to see Cleaver holding his shoulder tightly with a serious expression on his face.

"What did I say about doing anything stupid or irrational Mr. Logan?" Cleaver drawled slowly for the man to understand how stern he was. Cleaver could see the fear in the man's eyes and also, fury and rage behind those fearful eyes.

Garfield looked away from Cleaver quickly and turned his attention to the demoness on the battle ground. He did not know whether she was dead or alive. He could only assume the worse. Rage began to build up inside of him and refused to stand aside while his lover's body lay motionless. Without further thought, he jerked away from Cleaver's grip and ran down the coliseum steps.

Surprised Cleaver yelled, "What the hell Logan? Get your ass back here!" It was clear that his scolding would not stop the man from what he was doing and he followed pursuit behind the man.

Sprinting down the aisles, Garfield screamed her name hoping to conjure movement from the woman. He never got movement; just inquiring stares form all the demons in the audience. The stadium fell silent as they watch two men running down the rows.

Jumping off the edge of the aisles, Garfield nearly broke his ankles from the height of the jump. Cleaver followed afterwards attempting to be more careful with the fall. The entire stadium paid direct attention to the two men; not to mention two particular demons sitting in the balcony with questionable expressions.

After keeping his ground, Garfield ran towards the fallen half-demon. He was thankful to see her back rise signaling she was breathing heavily. However, her eyes were closed.

"Raven!" Garfield shouted trying to wake up the woman. "Please! You have to wake up!"

As if on cue, the woman's eyes fluttered open reveling her downtrodden amethyst eyes. Her eyes widen when she found Garfield fearfully shouting her name.

"Garfield?" came a harsh whisper. She could not believe that he was here. Hope flashed before her eyes, but as quickly as it came, it transformed into worry.

"Yes it's me and Cleaver." Garfield pointed to the right of his indicating Cleaver's presence. Cleaver quickly examined the woman noting many lacerations, deep wounds, significant blood loss, and a dislocated shoulder.

Using all of her strength, the half-demon raised her neck slightly to get a better view of the two men. "What the fuck? You two have to get out of here. NOW!" she said with a hoarse voice.

Garfield shook his head, "No way. We came here to bring you back and that is exactly what we are going to do."

Her face quickly went from fearful, to intimidating within a matter of seconds. "I am no joking. You guys have to leave and go back home. I will be fine." She hissed.

With a stern face Garfield frowned. "There's no way you will be fine while you are bloodied up and lying in your own vomit. We're getting out of here together."

Raven bit her lower lip thinking on what to say to get him to leave. A thought came to her mind that she would truly regret, but it must be done. She snarled and spoke, "Well I fucking hate you two. I don't even love you Garfield Logan. Get out of my life and let me be!" Raven was choking back tears hoping they wouldn't see through her charade.

Those words pierced Garfield in his heart. How could she be so cruel to him after all he had done for her? However, this feeling of sorrow began to pass as he looked into her amethyst eyes. Her face read that she was angry, pissed and any other negative emotion he could come up with. Yet, behind those eyes, passion, kindness, loyalty, and pride lingered. He knew she was bluffing in order for them to retreat without her. He smiled and gently rolled the woman onto her back noticing her dislocated shoulder.

When he finally had her safety on her back, he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss for a brief moment. She couldn't deny it; he was about as stubborn as she was. She knew that whatever she said, the man would not stop him from returning her the human realm. Raven blushed slightly as Garfield gazed gently into her eyes.

"You should know by now that I am so dense, that whatever you said didn't even register in my mind." He spoke, "Now let's get the hell out of here."

"_Hmmmm, now what do we have here?" _a loud voice bellowed from the balcony.

Fear struck through Cleaver and Garfield as they looked to the demon king above. He wore an amused grin and he rubbed his chin while he sat. Garfield's blood began to boil; whereas, Cleaver froze with fear.

"It seems that a team of two has come to rescue my dear daughter from my clutches." Trigon grinned showing his white canines. "You humans truly are small minded and ignorant. Was it really a wise idea to come knowing that you would be in the presence of myself and my minions? We took you down in the human world, and you truly think you can defeat us in our own world. Insignificant humans. But I do have some interest in you human, being in my domain." His smile curled even more "It seems that we will have more entertainment than expected."

Garfield stood up hovering over Raven protectively. Cleaver engaged the opportunity to relocate the woman's shoulder while he had time to. "You messed with the wrong dude, dude." Garfield threatened.

A soft chuckle escaped the demon's lips. "I quake in my hooves." He said sarcastically. "I know who you are human, I can smell it from here and from what I remember when I went to the human world. " He turned his attention to Archon and spoke, "Do you know who this human is?"

Archon shook his head in response, "I do not my lord. Pray tell, who is this insect?"

"That human is the one who took away what was rightfully yours." Trigon slowly explained.

It took several moments for this statement to stick inside the demon's mind. The demon injaled and exhaled slowly trying to keep his composure around the demon king. "Is that so?" Archon asked angrily. His fists clenched in frustration and stood up. "Though I cannot get back what is rightfully mine, I could at least taste the sweet victory of revenge."

Trigon nodded towards the demon, "As you wish my child."

Out of nowhere, Raven screamed in agony. This startled Garfield and turned around to find Cleaver holding her shoulder. He didn't expect him to relocate her arm so quickly, and neither did Raven. Although her shoulder hurt less, the venom throughout her body buried. Glancing over at Raven, Garfield missed the demon jumping from the balcony and onto the battle ground.

He turned his attention to the demon, knowing Cleaver would take care of Raven. The demon grinned revealing his pearl white canines. The look in his eyes intimidated Garfield. He wasn't just staring down the man; he was staring down on him like he was prey. The man kept his composure hoping not to seem weak. From what he assumed, this demon was most likely on of Raven's suitors. What they meant by what was taken from the demon puzzle the man. It sickened Garfield because they spoke of Raven as merely a possession. The beast lingered in his mind wanting to emerge.

Archon cleared his throat and spoke, "You see human, we demons do not take kindly to humans. Especially, when they have taken from us what is rightfully ours. I think of it as beneath me to fight you, but for the erotic sensation of revenge, I will reconsider. Human, you and I will fight to the death. Here and now."

Raven snarled trying to move, but Cleaver held her in place tending to her wounds. "Garfield! Don't do it! Just leave!"

Garfield turned his head over his shoulder to give her a reassuring smile. Nonetheless, she could see the fear in his eyes. "Raven, I love you all too much to leave you here. I am here to protect you and bring you back; whether that means fighting this demon and possibly my death. I'll take that risk knowing that I fought valiantly for your safety. But it won't come to that because I will win." He gave another reassuring smile and retuned his attention to the demon.

Disgusted, the demon scowled. "How touching and yet revolting. I guess that means you're in and that you've signed your own death warrant. Too bad that entire speech will have been for nothing. Do not worry; once you are dead I will take care of this insignificant half-breed. Only until she births my children, but after that, she will join you in the next life."

"You sick twisted bastard!" Garfield screamed and charged for the smug demon.


	28. Alpha

Chapter 28: _Alpha_

Everything around him seemed to move in slow motion as he charged towards the smug demon. As he approached the demon, the man held out his dagger from his left sleeve ready to slash the monster yards away from him. Yet, for what seemed like slow motion, transformed into a blur. Garfield expected to have slashed the demon, but instead when he made contact with the demon, it was ready. Stopped in place, the only leverage between both men were two dagger blades.

Garfield was bent slightly down drawing his blade upward, whereas Archon stood in a comfortable stance with his blade perpendicular to the Messors. Again, the demon wore a satisfying grin on his face and chuckled.

"Steady down there," Archon spoke "I do not desire your death to be that quickly. I would like for you to suffer in front of the half-breed."

Furious, Garfield swung his leg around attempting to trip the demon. However, Archon already anticipated the assault and shifted to the right avoiding the assault. Garfield stood upward still with his blade drawn defensively. He continued to glare at the demon. "Her name is Raven."

Another chuckle escaped the demon's mouth. The demon was calm and collected when it came to this battle. "Whatever it is you want to call her, she will always be a half-breed. Nothing more."

Taking small steps around the man, the demon circled Garfield acting like a predator circling its kill. Garfield continued to glare at the demon and kept his defensive stance. Making a one hundred eighty degree turn, the demon spoke.

"So tell me exactly why this half- breed is of so much interest to you?" Archon asked continuing his pace around the Messor. Garfield was silent. "You really have no idea what you have gotten yourself into. This is truly an outlandish idea to save this creature. I will tell you this, she means nothing and insignificant. She is half human and I am pure demon. In turn, making her my servant and to do whatever it is I please."

The demon stopped in place and moved his eyes towards the injured woman. She appeared to be healing herself, but pain was still stricken all over her face. The man beside her continued to bandage her wounds, and attempt to stop the bleeding.

Archon scuffed and returned his attention to the man he was battling. "At least your friend is helping to heal her. After I am finished with you and him, she'll be ready for me to bed her. When she has my child, I will dispose of her. She is simply a servant to my needs as well as the great Trigon. I won't need her to fulfill my sexual desires, since I already have another demoness' for that. She only lives because I need a child born of royal blood and Trigon needs an heir. Do not fret, once I am finished with you, she will join you in the next life. Now, let's get down to business. I want enjoy your demise."

"That's not going to happen" Garfield whispered to himself.

In a blink of an eye, Archon appeared behind Logan. Before he could react, the demon plunged the sharp into the human's right shoulder blade. Garfield cried out in pain and swatted the demon with his own blade. He failed to touch the demon, and Archon removed his blade from the man. Garfield grabbed his shoulder blade to ease the pain. It was bleeding at a steady place but continued to apply pressure to it. Archon on the other hand was enjoying seeing him in pain. He took a moment to take a large intake of the copper coated air. He smiled in satisfaction.

Raven and Cleaver could only watch as spectators. Although she was healing herself and Cleaver was helping, she was still. The poison from the underlings was still making its way through her blood. She knew it was noble of Garfield to fight for her, but Raven was fearful that it would not end so well. She was solely relying on hope that he would defeat Archon.

Garfield charged for the demon and drew his dagger out only able to get one cut on his chest not causing him too much harm. The demon smiled, grabbed Garfield by his ribcage and sent him crashing into one of the arena walls. The man screamed from the impact. He collapsed to the ground trying recover from the immense pain.

"Garfield!" Raven shouted from across the arena.

"I told you to be quiet wench!" Archon commanded and returned his gaze to his opponent. He lay lifeless in stone debris. However, the demon could sense that he was still alive, but barely. Pride began to fuel his ego as he proudly stood across from his opponent. This was soon shattered by the screams of his suitor for his victim. Archon growled and turned his attention to the commotion. "What did I tell you bitch?"

The demon took slow steps towards the half-demon and the human. Cleaver immediately stood up preparing for the impending encounter with the demon. In spite of this, he was no prepared for the demon to appear behind him. Before he could react, Archon threw the man far across the stadium floor.

Still enraged, the demon grabbed Raven by her throat leaving her inches off of the ground. She whimpered feeling her strength dissipate. Frequently, her eyes would flash a crimson red and when he applied more pressure, they would return to normal. She struggled for air trying to claw at the demon.

The world around him was blurry. He could feel himself drifting into unconsciousness. Garfield vision was obstructed, but could hear what was happening yards away. He felt weak that he was unable to help the woman he loved. She was gasping for life and here he was defeated in a pile of rubble. There was only one option he had. Though he did not want to succumb to it, it had to have been done.

A smile came across Archon's face as he held Raven's life in his hands, literally. Suddenly, his smile was wiped off when he heard a loud growl behind him. Turning his neck around, he became face-to-face with an unknown creature. It was large green being with a lupine muzzle with upturned fangs, feline like ears, a long mane, brawny forequarters, barrel like chest, and robust hindquarters.

Fear coursed through the demons body and was soon sent across the stadium. Archon skidded along the blood stained ground landing a few yards away. Raven desperately gasped her air as she landed on the ground. Right at her side was the beast. He lowered his ears and head trying to examine his mate. The beast let out a sorrowful whimper, but Raven pet the fur between his eyes assuring him that she was okay.

Though he did not want to leave his mate in this state, the beast had some business to take care of. He licked her right cheek and resumed his battle with the demon. Still stunned, the demon stood up not appearing to be damaged.

"What the fuck is that?" Archon asked.

Before he could get his answer, the beast stormed towards him with fury. Without a moment's notice, the beast was in front of the demon. The green creature clawed the man on the chest making four deep cuts. The demon cried in pain and staggered away from it. Again, the lupine animal attacked the demon by pouncing on him. The demon cried from the amount of pressure the beast was pushing on him. Archon sniveled and begged for the creature to spare his life. Slowly the beast lowered his mouth to the ear of the demon. Out came a thunderous rumble from the beast's throat.

The green beast sunk his teeth into the demon's back. He sunk so deep enough that he crushed his spinal cord and ripped out some of Archon's middle vertebrae. The demon's cried ceased. Blood was stained along the beast's mouth, neck and chest and dripped onto the cold ground. Raising his neck to the crimson sky, he let out a victorious howl. Sensing another presence approaching his mate, he glared across that direction. Cleaver was not harmed, and went to tend to his commander who still lay on the floor recovering from her ordeal.

Angry, the beast charged towards his competition. Before he could harm the man, Raven stood up and stepped between them both. She held out her hand signaling him to stop and she meant no injury.

"Garfield," she softly said to the beast, "This is your friend Cleaver. I assure you that he does not wish harm upon me or wish to pursue me as a mate. I need you to calm down."

The beast was breathing heavily, and let out an exasperated sigh. Cleaver and Raven returned sighs of relief was well. The half-demon scratched behind the beast's ear trying to sooth his nerves. However, she found it strange that he stayed in this form rather than his human state. Her question was answered by a familiar sound that made her stomach churn. A loud bellowed chuckle echoed across the stadium. There was only one place in the coliseum that this nose came from. The three looked to their right and above to find the source. Though Archon was dead, the battle was far from over.


End file.
